Emotional Drainage
Devin I’m talking about the part of therapy outside of the sessions. This involves writing progress notes, completing diagnostic evaluations, writing letters, and treatment planning. It’s a necessary part of the job, and I benefit from the “administrative” end of therapy. Documenting my sessions and treatment planning help me remember where I am and where my clients are in the process. Writing out my “therapy thoughts” also help me clarify what actually happened and what it might mean. Making phone calls also isn’t too bad, and writing letters on behalf of clients almost always help them feel better. So I have clear reasons for doing all those things outside of sessions.
It’s just that I like listening and talking with people that need help in one form or another. I want to be a person that provides hope and encouragement. For most of my clients, I am one of the few people (with some, the only one) in their life who always has kind words to say, who tends to not blame or criticize, who doesn’t call them names or use sarcasm, and is someone who clearly wants to help and encourage.
So when I’ve just connected with someone, listened, and given them some hope or a new perspective, it often feels too minimizing to write that down. There are documentation words and phrases that can accurately summarize what happened in a session, but leave out the emotional feelings and amount of energy expended. So many times, the words just aren’t there to express the depth of a session. Plus, I am always concerned about privacy of records and some detail just doesn’t need to be in a person’s chart. Anyway, writing down what I talked about with a client seems to cheapen the experience, and that bothers me.
Go figure, I get emotionally drained. Hopefully this is somewhat interesting to all of my wonderful readers. But if not, I felt the need to get it out anyway. And it is not a subject I hear discussed very much from other therapists/counselors/social workers.
By the way, I take enough care of myself that I am stable and okay, even when drained.
Have a great day, everyone!
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Devin,
This really is quite impressive. What a website, what a blog. I am impressed with your skill and knowledge. Now, as for feeling drained…ugh!!!
Mark
As a former counselor, I can relate to these drained feelings. We need a stockpile of magic wands to right all that needs to be corrected. I often felt like there were things about people that I wish I didn’t have to know. Anyone in a helping profession who doesn’t hurt from caring so much should probably seek a career change. So your comments about seeking a healthy balance to take care of yourself are well-stated.
Dorothy - Thank you for stopping by! I like the magic wand analogy too, and it does feel like we could use a stockpile of them.
Mark - I appreciate your compliments and that you visited. I hope you don’t feel drained for too long!
I find the most challenging aspects of charting a patient session is deciding the extent of information to be included in a note. I struggle with the idea that our patients problems are common to so many others that we should not have to shield information so carefully that it becomes shameful. We battle stigma and secrecy simultaneously. It seems the more we emphasize confidentiality, the more we communicate a need for secrecy and shame at times. I do not mean in any way that confidentiality should not be paramount but how do we teach clients to be open, accepting, confident and even proud of their life, experiences, emotions and personality if we have to guard every detail. I guess it’s easy for me to decide what details I want shared because I am rather open and it’s a rather daunting responsibility to discern for someone else what is ‘too private’ for their medical record. Isn’t it a lot to ask to keep everyone’s secrets when secrets can be so damaging.
Thanks Devin for stirring some thought!!
Chris - thank you for visiting and commenting. I like the way you said “We battle stigma and secrecy simultaneously.” I wish you the best in your therapy office.