It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. We are human beings who can now present ourselves as whole people, with authenticity, purpose, and connection. Especially now, when therapists must develop a personal brand to market their practices.

To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.

Interview with Jennifer Blough, LPC

Jennifer Blough is a licensed professional counselor, certified compassion fatigue therapist, certified pet loss grief recovery specialist, and the owner of Deepwater Counseling in southeast Michigan. In addition to counseling individuals and couples, she presents compassion fatigue workshops to animal welfare and veterinary organizations. She is the author of the book To Save a Starfish: A Compassion Fatigue Workbook for the Animal Welfare Warrior, and the host of The Compassion Fatigue Podcast.

In this episode we talk about:

The symptoms of compassion fatigue and how to recognize it
Jen’s story and how she became a therapist for animal welfare professionals
The buffers for “the normal cost of caring”
Self-care and support
Compassion satisfaction (getting joy from your work)
Focusing her practice on animal welfare professionals and pet loss, without closing herself off to others who she can help
The unique challenges of animal welfare professionals and how to support these people with the constant grief and loss associated with caring for animals
Considerations for therapists working with animal welfare professionals
The vegan lifestyle and how it intersects with the clinical work
Suggestions for self-care and coping with compassion fatigue
Animal rights activism
How to empower yourself rather than traumatize yourself in doing the research and work to support your passion and mission
How anger, depression, guilt, and isolation can increase the impact of compassion fatigue

Resources mentioned:

We’ve pulled together any resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.

The Green Cross Compassion Fatigue Therapist Certification

Pet Loss Grief Recovery Specialist Certification

The Compassion Fatigue Podcast

Deepwater Counseling

Our events:

The Brand Called “You”: Legal and Ethical Issues in Developing Your Personal Brand

The Therapy Reimagined Conference in Los Angeles in October 2018!!

Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/

The Tragedy of Squandered Opportunities - Romans 10:18-21 | Tom Ascol