Show notes:

Living and working in the place that Carl Jung called ‘the ‘pool of life’, their chosen rather than birth city, Elizabeth and Paul are fascinated by the importance of place both to their own lives and to their clients wellbeing, lives & choices. We consider how identity and memory relate to space and place both in the world and the therapy room. Paul talks about his research on this topic. Listen for another fascinating conversation.

Podcast on digital nomad lifestyle Jordan Harbinger Show: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/digital-nomads-skeptical-sunday/

Our episode on surviving as a helping professional in a time of fear & division:

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-26-surviving-as-a-helping-professional-in-a-time-of-fear-hate-and-global-crisis

Our episode 'Do we love our clients'  https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-22-do-we-love-our-clients

The Story of the Polish Soil

• When Chopin left Poland at the age of 20, his teacher reportedly gave him an urn containing Polish soil, which he kept until his death.

• While the idea of Chopin carrying the soil might be apocryphal, the story reflects his deep connection to his homeland and continued patriotism throughout his life, despite his exile.

From Google AI Overview

Episode 30: Is helping a creative act?

Elizabeth & Paul talk about creativity in therapy, counselling, teaching and social work. They look at how confidence, experience, authenticity, adaptability and individualisation lead to successful and creative collaborative work with clients.

The following previous episodes are mentioned in the discussion.

Ep  The Courage of the Person-Centred Approach

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-8-the-courage-of-the-person-centrered-approach

Ep  Helping clients gain clarity and shift perspective:

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-13-helping-clients-gain-clarity-and-shift-perspective

Mentioned in the episode

The Artists Way, Julia Cameron course to help you unlock creativity: 

https://juliacameronlive.com/

Also mentioned in the episode

Flow State definition: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/flow

Elizabeth and Paul discuss  the Stoics' idea of not needing or seeking 'the third thing', with the first thing being giving someone beneficial help, the second thing being the benefits they gain from it, and the third thing being getting praise and recognition for it. The stoic belief is that the first two things should be enough. n.b. this is not an argument for us not giving praise and recognition to others when appropriate, but more to highlight that sometimes we can get attached in a less than healthy way to our good work being recognised.

The original idea for this episode was inspired by the following article Daily Stoic inspiriation for episode https://dailystoic.com/you-do-not-need-this/

and the writings of the Stoic Philosopher and Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius
 

Several previous episodes are cross-referenced in the discussion  including Episode 9- Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, Episode 17-Keeping up with Social Change as a Helping Professional, and also  multiple episodes on on practitioner wellbeing and self-care

Episode 28: When to Stop Saying Yes

Elizabeth and Paul discuss how beliefs, social pressure, people pleasing and self image can affect our ability to make choices about the demands made of us at work and in relationship. They reflect on the changes they have experienced at different life stages and health challenges. They consider strategies you can try to shift from taking on too much to putting your own wellbeing into your decision making process, freeing up energy and time.
 

Article referred to about the origens of people pleasing and narcissim: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/peaceful-parenting/202101/the-one-thing-narcissists-and-people-pleasers-may-have-in-common

Previous relevant episodes:

Ep 27: Burnout and Rustout https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-27-burnout-and-rustout

Ep 25: The impact of beliefs on clients and practitioners https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-25-the-impact-of-beliefs-on-clients-and-practitioners

Connect with us on LinkedIn for information on upcoming episodes and discussion.

Elizabeth and Paul take a lucky dip approach to the card resource '50 Acts of Professional Self-Care' developed by Siobhan McLean of Kirwin Mc Lean Associates and Self-Care Psychology and pull out some cards at random to prompt discussion.

More information on this resource is available via Twitter @SelfCarePsy, via facebook @selfcarepsychology or at selfcarepsychology.com

Two exercises mentioned at the end and drawn from the above resource are:

The Equal Breathing Exercise

Equalising breathing can calm the body and mind very effectively, and can be great to do at times of stress.  It is taken from the Yoga tradition where it is known as Sama-Vritti, and also backed by scientific observation.

To prepare you can lie down, sit up straight, or stand up straight, then;

1. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4
2. Pause
3. Exhale for a count of 4
4. Repeat for a few minutes, or as long as you feel comfortable.

The Passive Progressive Relaxation Exercise

Used to help people achieve deep relaxation. It can be done at work (e.g. at your desk). For best results it is best to lie flat, however.  The best way to experience this is via a recording, and there are may versions of the exercise available free online  (e.g. on YouTube) You will be guided through each area of your body, relaxing each as you progress through the exercise.

 If you’d like to find our more or obtain a transcript of this episode, contact Elizabeth via www.elizabethturp.co.uk  or Paul [email protected]

The opening passage read by Paul is from a LinkedIn post written by Colin Newlyn (Decrapify Work) posted 17/10/24. Colins insights into workplace culture and employee well-being are well worth checking out. You can find more here https://decrapifywork.substack.com/

Later on Paul quotes from a linked in post by Chance Marshall from 18/10/24 regarding the new UK Labour governments plans to 'encourage' people with serious mental illness intro work.

Check out our many related episodes on self-care for helping professionals and Episode
 

25 on how our beliefs affect our work.
 

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-25-the-impact-of-beliefs-on-clients-and-practitioners

The Harpers Bazzar article on rustout mentioned in this episode is here: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/a43695947/rust-out/

A couple more interesting articles on Rustout are here  
https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/careers/rust-out-signs-impact-mental-health/761502

https://www.maddyness.com/uk/2024/01/15/rust-out-the-warning-signs-and-what-to-do-about-them/
 

Therapist Burnout Podcast: Mental Health, Business, and Career Tips for Therapists, Counselors, & Psychologists Why Is Therapist Burnout Different?

Burnout is something almost every profession deals with, but for therapists, it hits differently. We’re not just exhausted from the long hours or the endless paperwork—it’s the emotional weight of holding space for others, the vicarious trauma we take on, and the unrelenting pressure to be “okay” so we can keep helping our clients
 

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/therapist-burnout-podcast-mental-health-business-and/id1698139097?i=1000672036990

Overthinking About Burnout Magical Overthinkers Podcast

Chronically stressed? Emotionally exhausted? Depleted to the point of physical suffering, dissociation, and paranoia that things will never improve? Burnout, which is not just fatigue or boredom but rather what happens when our bodies fail to complete the "stress response cycle." That's according to our guest, Amelia Nagoksi, co-author of the bestselling book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/magical-overthinkers/id1745220403?i=1000660279335

Elizabeth and Paul discuss coping with the recent extreme events in the UK and worldwide as a helper and how love, connection, community and openness to understanding can help us take care of ourselves and our clients during challenging times.

Read more about Imam Adam Kelwick and Nan's Against Nazis here:
 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/08/ice-cream-nans-against-nazis-uplifting-acts-face-far-right-riots

Also see this short YouTube video 'Why a Liverpool Imam reached out to far-right rioters outside his mosque'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FuOgGZqkM&list=WL&index=8

Episode 17 of this podcast with guest Therapists Connect founder Dr Peter Blundell discusses the importance of how we engage with social issues
 

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-17-keeping-up-with-social-change-as-a-helping-professional-the-importance-of-challenging-cpd

For Elizabeth's articles on Long Covid: https://www.elizabethturp.co.uk/archived-articles

David Byrne's 'Reasons to Be Cheerful' project as mentioned in the podcast: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/

In episode 25 of How We Care Elizabeth & Paul talk about how client's beliefs about themselves, practitioners beliefs about their work and their own personal beliefs can impact progress and effectiveness and how to address this. Drawing on evolutionary theory and the neuroscience of fear, considering why helping is a political act and social context matters, this conversation goes far and wide into the complexity of individual belief systems.
 

Article available soon:

Why therapist curiosity and openness matter in a changing world

https://www.elizabethturp.co.uk/articles

Earlier episode referred to in this one: Ep 23: Keeping it Human: The impact of dehumanising systems on well-being

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-episode-23-keeping-it-human-the-impact-of-dehumanising-systems-on-well-being

For counsellors: Check out Good Enough Counsellors Facebook group run by Josephine Hughes for a safe space to discuss practice issues.

In this episode we consider the ways in which good listening underpins effective helping and our wider interactions in everyday life. We discuss the behaviours that signify good listening, and identify some of the factors that can interfere with deep listening, such as fatigue and intrusive thoughts.

We reflect back on our very first episode 'Being with Emotions in Helping Conversations' which featured examples of what good listening actually is and how we can be more present with difficult feelings when they come up in non-therapy helping interactions.
 

https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes/how-we-care-no1-being-with-emotions-in-helping-conversations

Also, you might want to check out episodes 3, 5 and 18 of How We Care for self-care for the practitioner and episode 12 for self-awareness for helping professionals. https://how-we-care.simplecast.com/episodes

In the Assembly BBC programme, with a diverse group of people asking the actor/director

Michael Sheen questions - he listens with patience and makes space for their differing communication styles.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001xyj5/the-assembly

Elizabeth and Paul consider the impact of dehumanising systems on well-being, both in the workplace and wider society. They also discuss some of the ways in which helping professions can support clients/patients/customers etc through the effects of these dehumanising systems.

The powerful ITV drama about the post office scandal discussed in this episode is linked to below;

https://www.itv.com/watch/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office/10a0469/10a0469a0001

A link is made in this episode to a previous episode of the How We Care Episode    'Turning Scars into Service'. We make the point that often people who experience dehumanising treatment, are often strengthened in their resolve to prevent it happening to themselves again, or to others, or strengthened in their empathy and understanding when it does happen.  

Timpsons is mentioned as an example of a positive company culture and the link below is an article by their CEO, James Timpson

https://gunnercooke.com/is-culture-really-that-important-with-james-timpson-ceo-of-timpson/

Any thoughts or comments on this episode? Or themes you would like us to cover?

Contact us via LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-turp-11a90035

linkedin.com/in/paul-gaunt-bbb02874