'Is it worth it, this money from our budget being spent on me?'
'Shouldn't my organisation's resources be put directly towards its' beneficiaries?' 'I'm so fortunate compared to the people I deal with through my work. I'm not sure I feel comfortable focusing so much on my own needs - isn't it a bit indulgent?' When staff are offered counselling or put forward for psychological health consultations through the types of organisations FD Consultants (FDC) works with (international aid agencies, charities and public sector providers) the comments and questions listed above typify a concern I commonly hear. Pared down to its' most basic components, the concern seems to be 'am I worth it?', 'will this be of value?', and 'do I, myself, deserve the care and support I strive to offer others?'. Staff working within the sectors FDC supports are usually highly conscientious, driven by strong values (such as justice, equality and compassion), and acutely aware of the relative good fortune they experience in comparison to those their organisations may set out to assist. It's not uncommon for such staff to also feel frustrated having seen their organisations' resources being previously used in ways they perceive to be wasteful. It's therefore little surprise that such individuals can often be cynical and resistant to the idea of taking some time out at their organisation's expense - time to sit with a psychologist or psychotherapist and consider their own psychological health and general wellbeing. This resistance is something I always see fit to gently challenge - bringing to light that those very same strengths that generally motivate, sustain and serve staff in the aid, charity and public sectors so well, can easily tip over into proving disadvantageous, and, in some cases, even hazardous. The line between a strong work-ethic and the kind of workaholism that can lead to stress and burnout is a thin one. Similarly, potential consequences of holding strong values and ideals can be a rigidity and reluctance to engage with anyone who thinks differently, or a heavy and crushing sense of disenchantment that kicks in when these values and ideals are seen not to be upheld by others. Focusing solely on meeting other peoples' needs at the expense of one's own can also leave a person feeling depleted, with little left to give, and, over time, becoming resentful - not to mention stirring up a ripple-effect of similar emotions amongst colleagues and loved ones. Taking time-out for a standard stand-alone psychological consultation (usually a pre-assignment resilience consultation or mid/post-assignment consultation review) can help individuals working in these sectors to recognise and preserve their precious strengths and protect against them becoming exhausted or overstretched in some of the ways described above. In such consultations an FDC consultant will typically guide an individual to think about their role, and how they manage health, relaxation, work-life balance and maintaining a good support network, as well as encouraging them to consider how they manage stress and challenges in the workplace. A brief exploration of personal history and recent life events will also help to highlight anything in a person's role that might potentially be 'triggering' or evocative of issues from their past. Gaining insight into such connections and possibilities can be hugely helpful. So many people are strongly motivated (either consciously or unconsciously) to do the work they do in order to address things they themselves, or others close to them, have personally experienced. What better incentive? However, again, this is something that can can render an individual vulnerable if not explored and managed with care. Therefore it can be important to give it careful consideration. When something particularly traumatic or challenging occurs in connection to an individual's work, such as a critical incident, or within their personal life, such as a bereavement or relationship breakdown, allowing the opportunity to talk the impact of this through with an FD Consultant (in, for example, a initial trauma-assessment or assessment for counselling) can help the individual concerned to manage as best they can. This may mean taking some time off, or making time for a short-series of ongoing trauma or general counselling sessions. If taking time to treat, rest or recover from a physical injury is acceptable, we'd encourage people to consider psychological trauma or stress in the same way. Although staff can sometimes feel understandably apprehensive sharing difficult or sensitive material relating to their pasts in a work-related psychological consultation, my response to this is that it's not so much what happened to them as how they have handled it and moved forward that FD Consultants are most interested in. I also point out that FDC appointments are largely confidential (although, of course, there are some legal, ethical and professional limits to this which are always explained at the start of any consultation) and anything fed back to an individual's organisation will always be shared with them first. 'I actually learned a lot about myself in that hour so feel much more confident about starting my assignment'. 'I've come to realise there are a range of relatively simple things I can do to promote my own wellbeing and that this will have a positive impact on my team and the people we serve'. 'I can see now why that experience affected me so much so have a lot more self-compassion and strength to move forward in my work' Above are some of the types of comments we've heard as feedback from individuals who've engaged with the types of psychological health consultations FDC provides. We're more than the tools it takes to do our work so if we pay for our vehicles, IT systems and operational equipment to be serviced, why not give ourselves as humans and individuals the same kinds of treatment? Burnout, stress and unprocessed trauma amongst staff can have such a detrimental effect on individuals, teams and, ultimately, the people their organisations serve. Therefore it can be a meaningful long-term investment to seek to combat them. Felicity Runchman MBACP (Accred), MA Counselling & Psychotherapy
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