The Importance of Student’s self-care in counselling room.

“Messy bed, messy head “

We have a beautiful day, and everything seems to be perfect today.

Few more sessions and we start the weekend. But what if we are getting tired and our mood becomes low? The condition will change dramatically.

Sounds a bit like we are in disbelief but it is possible. A few aspects have to be taken into consideration.

When you feel flat, your last session was overwhelming, and we have a few more appointments, it is not easy to cancel the meeting and go home. The level of concentration decreases. Especially in present circumstances of COVID 19.

It is worth remembering that we have to keep ourselves in excellent condition and care about our well-being. If we are in a bad mood, it is difficult to operate during the session. Typically if you are ready to make some mistakes today, then the level of empathy and UPR(unconditional positive regard) changes. It is not enough to be pleasant for the client. The person with who we are in the psychological relationship will know that there is something wrong.

I would like to suggest 5 books related to self care in counselling practice.

First is Julia Cameron “The Artist’s Way: A Course in Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self” one of my first books I read in my first steps of practice and working with myself.

The second one is written by Daniel Freeman and suggested by BACP, another position from my shelf. This book will illustrate more about our behaviours and mind work to help understand our existence and will help you to cope with daily routines: Know Your Mind: Everyday Emotional and Psychological Problems and How to Overcome Them.

In third position is my favourite: Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More Than IQ, written by Daniel Goleman. On many occasions, it reminds me about the difference between our emotional intelligence and to be just wise. This book shows us how emotion can control our behaviour and how that movement can be destructive.

The last fifth position from my bookshelf is: The Making of a Therapist: A Practical Guide for the Inner Journey written by Louis Cozolino. Absolutely valuable for all students. I personally listened to this as an audiobook in my car on the way to work and always find something new.

Our mood and behaviour affect others and oppositely as well. Always we have to remember to take a break between sessions and take a few deep breaths before the next meeting. Try to meditate or do some stretching to release the stress and clear the mind.

Do not take more clients than you can manage. Avoid group counselling next to the room of one to one. Be mindful of other distractions like the noise of traffic. Sleep enough and eat healthy. Always be patient with your decisions.

Take time and think appropriately before saying something. It is typical to make a session more difficult when the person could understand wrongly or differently what we want to say.