Thrivival 101: A Fresh Take on Self-Care for Female Mental Health Clinicians
As mental health clinicians we all know that self-care is important. We talk with our clients about it ALL.THE.TIME and yet, ironically, we often struggle with it ourselves! Even worse, we tend to do this in silence, because, who wants to let any of our colleagues know that we might be struggling with our own self-care? After all, aren’t we supposed to be the experts in this?!
Here’s the thing: There are unique factors (about our training, our work, and our gender socialization) that contribute to the very real and normal struggle that we, especially as female mental health clinicians, have when it comes to our own self-care. The good news is that together we can lessen the struggle but only if we’re willing to break the silence.
Join us, Dr. Karen Dyck and Dr. Melissa Tiessen of Intentional Therapist, to learn how to re-think what challenges our self-care efforts as females in this profession. And get on board with a whole new concept of what self-care can look like, using our 4 C’s model: Connection, Compassion, Courage, and Creativity. We hope that through our down-to-earth discussions with other like-minded mental health clinicians you will be inspired to elevate your own self-care, and move from simply surviving to truly thriving.
Because, in the end, taking care of ourselves is not only how we best take care of our clients, but it’s also how we create the kind of life from which we don’t need to escape. (We know, intriguing concept!)
To learn more about Intentional Therapist and our 4 C’s model of self-care, visit us at: www.intentionaltherapist.ca
Thrivival 101: A Fresh Take on Self-Care for Female Mental Health Clinicians
Using Values to Guide Our Self-Care Journey: A Conversation with Dr. Dayna Lee-Bagley
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Let’s face it: self-care is a journey. And like any journey, we’re bound to run into unexpected roadblocks and detours that are beyond our control (think pandemic, home schooling, client crises, etc.). Fortunately, we all have a built-in global positioning system (GPS) called values, that can help us navigate our journey, even in the face of roadblocks and detours. It can help keep us moving in the right direction, even if that might mean taking a slightly different path than we had initially planned.
In this episode, clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley, shares how her values have shaped the work she does and offers her perspective on some of the unique self-care, or 're-charging', challenges facing healthcare providers, the impact of the pandemic, and some easy ways we can start incorporating value-driven action into our own self-care.
Episode highlights:
- What led Dr. Lee-Baggley to leave her hospital position after 15 years
- How the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) framework can fit into self-care
- Factors that make it hard for healthcare providers to take care of themselves
- How the pandemic (or “apocalypse”) has impacted us
- An easy way to start incorporating value-driven action into our lives
Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley is a Registered Clinical Psychologist in BC, AB, ON and NS. She is the director of Dr. Lee-Baggley and Associates, a virtual health psychology clinic specializing in clinical interventions, training for healthcare providers, and research in health-related issues. She worked for almost 15 years in multidisciplinary teams on medical, surgical and cancer care hospital units providing assessment, therapy and consultation for patients with chronic and life-threatening health conditions. She also conducts research as an Assistant Professor at Dalhousie University and has an Adjunct Professor appointment at Saint Mary’s University. She has an active research program on behavior change, obesity, chronic disease, professional resiliency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is a senior consultant providing healthy workplace interventions for employees, teams, and leaders. She is an internationally recognized trainer in ACT and a certified therapist in Emotion Focused Therapy for Couples. She was the recipient of the 2017 Women of Excellence Award for her contributions to Health, Sport and Wellness (Canadian Progress Club Halifax Cornwallis). She is the author of the book “Healthy Habits Suck: How to get off the couch & live a healthy life…even if you don’t want to.”
Connect with Dayna:
http://drleebaggley.com
https://twitter.com/DrLeeBaggley
Connect with Melissa & Karen at Intentional Therapist:
intentional@intentionaltherapist.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmelissatiessen/
Sign up for our newsletter to receive access to our FREE '4 C's' mini-course:
https://www.intentionaltherapist.ca
Join us for the next cohort of Thrivival Skills for Therapists, starting in October, and earn 6 CE credits: https://intentionaltherapist.thinkific.com/courses/thrivival-skills-for-therapists-fall-2024
Disclaimer: Thrivival 101 is a podcast that seeks to be educational in purpose and is not to be used as clinical advice. Please connect with a therapist one-on-one for personalized support.