Self-Care for Clinicians in Training A Guide to Psychological Wellness for Graduate Students in Psychology

Self-care for Clinicians in Training: A Guide to Psychological Wellness for Graduate Students in Psychology assists readers in recognizing the challenges and stressors common to being a graduate student and instructs them in maintaining a career-long lifestyle of self-care. Successfully navigating graduate school requires much more than completing coursework and clinical experiences; graduate students in psychology make countless sacrifices and dedicate what may feel like a never-ending amount of time and energy in the pursuit of professional training. As such, many students put their own needs and well-being on hold or overlook them entirely. This can negatively impact coursework, clinical work, as well as one's relationships and health. This book teaches how to recognize risk factors that contribute to problems with psychological and emotional functioning and highlights preventative and reparative strategies that foster a lifestyle of self-care. The authors also encourage readers to consider self-care and psychological wellness beyond themselves, expanding to monitoring the well-being of peers and establishing cultures of self-care within their training programs. This book will be an essential resource to students in psychology graduate programs as well as those across the mental health professions

Leigh A. Carter, M.S., is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Loyola University Maryland. She is a past board member of the American Psychological Association Advisory Committee on Colleague Assistance and the Maryland Psychological Association for Graduate Students. Her research interests focus on self-care and psychological wellness for students and professionals. Her current and previous clinical experiences include working in university counseling centers and employee assistance programs, where she incorporates her research on self-care.

Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D., ABPP, is a Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Psychology at Loyola University Maryland as well as a licensed psychologist in independent practice. He is Board Certified in Clinical Psychology and in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and he is a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice. He has published extensively and does training on self-care, promoting psychological wellness, burnout prevention, ethics, and professional practice issues.

Introduction

Part I: Beginning the Self-Care Journey - Tuning in and Assessing for Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Warning Signs

Chapter 1: Exploring Your Sources of Distress
Chapter 2: Addressing Problems with Professional Competence
Chapter 3: Are You at Risk of Burnout?
Chapter 4: Risks of Clinical Work with Trauma

Part II: Establishing Lifestyles of Self-Care - Practices, Strategies, and Plans

Chapter 5: The Great Juggling Act - Learning to Strike a Balance Between Your Professional and Personal Life
Chapter 6: Get a Great Mentor Now!
Chapter 7: The Graduate School Marathon - Goal Setting, Time Management, and Creating Realistic Expectations for Success
Chapter 8: Developing Your Self-Care Plan
Chapter 9: Ready, Set, Go! Getting Started with Self-Care Now
Chapter 10: An Inside Look at Self-Care Practices of Graduate Students

Part III: From Individual to Community and Beyond - Fostering Networks of Self-Care

Chapter 11: Caring for Ourselves and One Another
Chapter 12: Creating a Culture of Self-Care in Your Graduate Program
Conclusion

Resources
References
Notes
Index