Being a social worker, therapist or counselor is incredibly vulnerable. We put ourselves into unknown situations daily. We take on great responsibilities, holding space for others and helping them get their needs met.

With vulnerability comes the opportunity for connection and deep, meaningful healing (for ourselves and others); but it also can bring up old wounds, self-criticism/judging, the risk of emotional exposure and everything else.

The antidote to this, and a necessary ingredient for each of us sustainably doing this work is, in my humble opinion, a really solid self-compassion practice.

Check out our posts from 2021 and 2020.

Here are some questions to reflect on:

• Where do I most need growth in my practice, and how do I motivate myself?

• What do I do with negative feedback?

• How do I talk to myself when I’m behind in my work?

• How do I teach my clients self-compassion?

• Where am I most self-critical and self-blaming in my work?

• What would my work look like if I noticed more of my own pain points in it, and intentionally applied self-compassion (as defined in the 2020 post) to them?

Looking forward to seeing you all.