Listening to detailed stories of despair and bearing witness to the pain and fear that trauma survivors have endured can be overwhelming. Healing professionals who do this sacred work can find themselves experiencing burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue.
In this social climate the demand for healing professionals is increasing and therefore the need for us to intentionally practice self-care. Yet, self-care remains elusive. This led to the creation of Healing the Healers (HTH). Through workshops and 1-on-1 or team coaching our services empower healers to live a quality of life that reflects their brilliance and strength.
Participants from Healing the Healers workshops and coaching have reported experiencing the following:
A stronger sense of self and purpose
Decreased potential for burnout and improvement in mental health
Innovation and creativity in workplace and in personal life
Energy and mental space to focus on priorities (including work)
Ability to establish and maintain boundaries
Enhancement of decision-making skills
Enhancement of job performance
Improvement of overall quality of life
HTH strives to help healers learn the skills needed to thrive while helping traumatized populations heal. These skills include the following:
Identify the challenges, strengths, and weaknesses associated with being a healing professional
Identify and practice self-care techniques unique to them
Learn to use introspection as the foundation of personal and professional excellence
Challenge feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that can be common when helping trauma survivors
Understand the warning signs and prevent the onset of burnout
Improve their overall quality of life, including developing a consistent practice of PLAY
Learn to clear the emotional residue of others as a self-care tool
Children remind us that we don't need a reason to play or celebrate. For healers, play is VITAL. Since we are often connected to the suffering that is a part of the human experience, we must make sure to connect to the joy that is also the human experience. That's where play comes in!
We are excited to announce that in 2019 we will begin monthly Meetup groups called "Healers at Play", which will consist of Healers across industries coming together to engage in different forms of "play". This potentially includes taking a dance class together, trying out floating pods, going to a spa, indoor miniature golfing together, going to the orchestra, museum trips, and whatever else we can dream up together!
There is only one rule: if you find yourself talking about your caseload or clients for more than 3 minutes, then you MUST change the subject. Sometimes as healers we become so submerged in our clients' lives that we forget to have our own. This space is one in which we are the center of attention and our hobbies, interestes, funny stories, and talents should dominate the room. If you are interested in joining this Meetup Group, please email me at kyeisha@kyeishahodge.com and I will ad your name to a waitlist. After the meetup page is created, you can sign up there.
Healing the Healers has given self-care workshops to case managers and other helping professionals at organizations like the YWCA, Rainier Valley Corps, Seattle Therapy Alliance, and Wonder of Women Inc. These workshops give participants the opportunity to assess their current self care as well as acquire tools to immediately begin improving their self care and therefore the quality of their lives. Please contact me here if you wish to learn more.
Our services also support organizations and individuals by offering one-on-one and team coaching. HTH will contract with organizations to meet with their staff individually and within their teams. This role is known as the Trauma Stewardship Coach which is based off of the powerful book by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky titled "Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others". It's an inspirational book that every Healer should read. Click here to learn more.
© Kyeisha Hodge PLLC, 2019 | Site designed by Nadia Bahrami & Nicholas Hunt-Walker
© Kyeisha Hodge PLLC, 2019
