ANN EVANOrganisational Self Care

A fresh approach to self care

Ann Evans,MAPS

Practice Adviser Lifeline Australia

I don’t need self care….

• Working in suicide prevention means you are exposed to traumatic material

• This will have an effect on you– Vicarious trauma– Burnout

• The more hours you do, the more you put yourself at risk

What is self care?

• Not limited to doing something nice for yourself after a hard day’s work

• It’s about recognising the impact of the work we do and– Acknowledging any reactions (physical,

emotional)– Listening to what you need– Ensuring you have access to supervision and

support

Structures that help

• Regular, good quality supervision• Access to immediate debriefing • A self care culture• The things you tell your clients to do• A toolkit of strategies

Self care tools

BEFORE client work• Am I in a good emotional

place?• Allow time to get settled

and be present• Practice a relaxation or

mindfulness technique

DURING a challenging session• Notice your reaction• Practice a simple

technique to stay calm

• Focus on the client

AFTER a challenging session

• Reflect on what happened and on your reaction

• Sit with any uncomfortable feelings• If your reaction is strong, contact another

professional for debriefing (don’t ignore it)• Journal it – use reflective practice

Other tips

• Take breaks• Reflect regularly• Check yourself for resentment, judgment or

generalisations towards clients and discuss this• Acknowledge when you’ve made a difference• Stay connected personally and professionally• Reach out for help when you need it

What does self care look like in your organisation?

For more information:

This workshop is adapted from an article published in InPsych, the bulletin of the Australian Psychological Society Limited, February 2015, and is available online at: www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/2015/February/evans