Counselor Self Care

"Self-care for counselors and therapists has been a salient topic in the mental health professions for many years. In 2018, our first edition of Counselor Self-Care was published, and even back then, we thought the book was long overdue. This impression was validated when we presented on this topic at professional conferences and spoke with many attendees who were eager to share about their own challenges with self-care. Little did we all know then that life as we knew it was about to be disrupted in unfathomable ways. Significant developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic, undue police violence, and threats to democracy have challenged society since the first edition was published. The implications of these disturbing trends and stressors on the helping professions have been nothing short of profound. The pandemic resulted in a move to providing counseling online rather than in person, and also resulted in teaching and supervision transitioning to online formats. As the demand for mental health services skyrocketed as people experienced social isolation, anxiety, and depression, helping professionals were tested in unprecedented ways and sometimes beyond their own limits. These developments have impacted the well-being of all of us, which makes it more imperative than ever to sustain and strengthen our self-care practices. We hope that our book will assist you in engaging in self-reflection regarding your own self-care successes and challenges as you read this second edition of our book"--