Self-Care & Development
This section emphasizes the importance of self-care and continuous professional development for psychotherapists. Discover resources and strategies to maintain personal well-being and foster growth throughout your career in psychotherapy.
134 articles found
Living with Mental Illness as a Therapist: Ethical Challenges in Psychotherapeutic Practice
Introduction Psychotherapy centres on the healing relationship between the patient and the therapist, with the goals of every interaction remaining identifying, working through, and ultimately alleviating the patient’s distress (Flückiger et al., 2018). However, the focus of the professional relationship and therapeutic process extends beyond the patient, as it also encompasses the therapist’s mental health […]
Sanyukta Golaya, M.A.
July 16, 2026
Becoming the Therapist I Once Needed: Reflections on Early Career Development, Humility, and Hope in Couples Therapy
I became a therapist because I know what it feels like to search for clarity, confidence, and direction. That is not a slogan for me. It is part of the lived history I bring into the work, and it shapes the kind of early career therapist I am becoming. I do not come to couples […]
Sheri Sterup, LMFTA
July 15, 2026
Suicidal Behavior Among Psychologists: Prevalence, Drivers, and Recommended Action Steps
Suicide is a serious threat to public health, and healthcare professionals, including psychologists, are not immune to it. Few experiences are as shocking to psychologists as learning that one of their colleagues has died from suicide. The experience often leaves their patients feeling bewildered or traumatized (Kleespies et al., 2011). This article reviews the prevalence […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP + 2 more
May 12, 2026
I’ll Rest When I’m Dead: A Student’s Guide to Self-Care Amidst the Hustle Culture of Graduate School
There have been many times throughout graduate school where self-care did not feel like it was for me or that it was even allowed to be for me. Who really has time as a graduate student to practice self-care, let alone regularly? While I was informed about the importance of self-care as a fundamental practice […]
Sarah Bondy, MA
March 29, 2026
No Psychologist is an Island: Building Ethical Strength Through Community
Professions exist as shared communities with each profession defined by its specialized tasks and standards to uphold, including ethical codes, shared values, and professional norms. Psychology, like other professions, is grounded in a shared ethical code, specialized expertise, and a commitment to public service. These core elements are dynamic and continuously refined through ongoing professional […]
John Gavazzi, PsyD, ABPP + 1 more
March 19, 2026
“You Have to Be It to See It” – And Other Phrases to Improve Psychotherapist Well-Being
The work of a psychotherapist can be emotionally taxing. Psychotherapists must deal with the day-to-day micro-stressors, such as treating people with unpleasant emotions and difficult interpersonal situations. In addition, many psychotherapists will experience, at some time in their careers, a macro-stressor, such as having patients die from suicide, being threatened with an assault from a patient, […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP + 2 more
August 10, 2025
Entering the World of Private Practice: What Graduate School Did Not Teach You
Abstract Young psychologists entering the world of private practice often find themselves holding naïve concepts about this area of psychotherapy and may be ill-prepared to work for a group private practice and/or start their own practices. This may be related to various obstacles surrounding credentialling and billing, insurance operations and processes, restrictive covenants, marketing tasks, […]
Michael Pica, PsyD
August 10, 2025
Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Transdiagnostic Approach – Part II
As discussed in Part I (link), mental health can be significantly impacted by climate change. Part II will describe how various mental health disorders intersect with climate change Symptoms of Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, and Climate Change Climate change can have both direct and indirect effects on symptoms of clinical depression (Ellis & Albrecht, 2017; […]
Maggie Grandsire, BGS + 1 more
June 24, 2025
Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: A Transdiagnostic Approach – Part I
Undoubtedly, climate change is causing lasting impacts on our natural environment (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2023). The climate crisis is exacerbating unprecedented extreme weather events, like Hurricane Helene in North Carolina in 2024 (Thiem & Lindsey, 2024) and the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in 2025 (Smith, 2025). It is increasing the risk of more […]
Maggie Grandsire, BGS + 1 more
June 24, 2025
The Effects of Social Media on Self-Esteem
This paper will discuss the impact of social media on an individual’s self-esteem in different stages of development through a psychosocial lens. Psychosocial theory of human development focuses on the inner world of an individual who is trying to find a sense of self in society. “The process of growth results from the interaction of […]
Hannah Belisle, BA + 1 more
June 3, 2025
Resilience as a Goal in Psychotherapy
Our collective tolerance for distress seems to be declining since the pandemic. The number of Americans who currently have or are being treated for depression has increased to 17.8%, a seven-percentage point increase since 2015 and the highest percentage recorded by Gallup (Witters, 2023). An alarming 43% of adults say they feel anxious, an increase […]
Jared Scherz, PhD, MEd
May 7, 2025
Women Leaders on Unsolicited Advice and Competence-Questioning Communication
The field of psychology has increasingly been making calls for psychologists to engage in advocacy as “citizen psychologists” (APA, 2020). Indeed, 2017 APA President Henderson Daniel made a call to action for engagement in volunteer efforts within professional organizations (e.g., APA and its divisions), as well as leadership within these organizations, as one primary avenue […]
Amy E. Ellis, Ph.D. + 1 more
April 17, 2025