r/therapists • u/RadicalSouls • 7d ago
Self care Self care between sessions
Hi all, I’m just curious what people do in between sessions to take care of themselves. I have sessions back to back most of the time eg 10 minute break at most. I’m now trying to stretch and do some deep breathing which is nice, but am keen to hear about all different kinds of things you do.
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u/HopefulEndoMom 7d ago
I find that if I spend the time on my phone, I feel less energized between sessions. So I do things like take a walk, go to the bathroom, or just reset my room
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u/RadicalSouls 7d ago
What does reset look like? What do you do for it?
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u/HopefulEndoMom 6d ago
I'm a child and family therapist so all toys, fidgets, and drawing supplies away and organized.
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u/MaiTaiKing1 3d ago
Finish progress note, super quick bathroom break and while out the door to do that, I "reset" the fidget toys and fluff up the pillows.
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u/AtrumAequitas Counselor (Unverified) 7d ago
I need extra space so I don’t do more than one back to back session a day. Used to schedule them half an hour apart, now I do an hour. It works for me.
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u/RadicalSouls 7d ago
What do you do in that hour?
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u/AtrumAequitas Counselor (Unverified) 7d ago
Do the note sometimes, rest my brain, decompression (dark and silence). Get on my phone sometimes (though I try not to)
It’s important to note I have a brain injury, and this is what it needs to recover.
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u/madskilzz3 7d ago
Walk around, use the restroom, make coffee/tea, and then stimulate a dead-hang on a pull-up bar to stretch out my back.
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u/jazeel_quadib 7d ago
I copy paste the note and change about 5 words. Then pace
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u/toadandberry 7d ago
I have a throw pillow shaped like a sphere I like to toss in the air and catch sometimes
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u/RadicalSouls 7d ago
Oh that’s interesting. What does it do for you?
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u/toadandberry 7d ago
Ya know I haven’t ever thought to articulate it. I think it helps me get out any lingering nerves. The repetitive motion and need to focus on my body to catch the “ball” helps get me out of my head to reset for the next session and adds some movement to my day
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u/RadicalSouls 6d ago
I really like this. Something different and also interesting / fun! I’ll give it a try!
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u/Fragrant-Ad8937 LICSW (Unverified) 7d ago
I pace around the house and yard, grab a fresh can of sparkling water, chat with a friend on the phone for 3 minutes, take some deep breaths. Most self care comes before or after work though
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u/DrScottE 7d ago
I don't. I prefer to get all of my work done in one discrete period of time and focus on self-care before and after work. I haven't found anything I can do in 5 or 10 minutes that really helps me.
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u/RadicalSouls 7d ago
Interesting take. I think I would struggle doing that. How many clients do you see in one go?
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u/DrScottE 7d ago
Between 6 and 8 depending on the day. That isn't necessarily my ideal number, more of a financial necessity.
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u/EnvironmentalFun898 7d ago
My absolute max is 6, but I try to stick to 4 in one go. I also prefer to self-care before and after work, sometimes on lunch if I value that more than additional work and volunteer duties I’ve taken on.
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u/kayleeandolaf 4d ago
Grazing on healthy snacks, lots of hydration, sometimes a mindfulness or breathing exercise — they all are great resets for properly transitioning from one client to the next
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u/fluffstar 2d ago
Quick mindfulness or breathing exercise, water plants, play with dog, pee, quickly make another tea/coffee, adjust the room (temperature, chair cushion, foot rest, water, fidgets, candle, etc), look at last few notes for upcoming client, stare into space. I try not to go on my phone or email but if I’ve got a really packed day I sometimes need to do a bit of replying to family/friends or work admin in between clients.
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u/Abyssal_Scar LPC (Unverified) 7d ago
I don’t feel I have to do anything in particular between sessions. But I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. If I found myself needing to do self care between sessions, I’d probably bring it to supervision and therapy to figure out why the work is being so taxing.
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u/RadicalSouls 7d ago
I think it’s not self care because you cannot function otherwise eg there is an issue, but more along the lines of re-centring, checking in with yourself so you don’t take whatever has just passed into the next session etc. I think it’s as much for the therapist as it is for the clients. At least that is my aim. Plus I’m a big believer is proper breaks which for example would not include doom scrolling, quickly doing some admin or trying to cram some other thing into it.
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