#46 - Healthy Self, HEAL Thy Self | Tanesha Mayo

Women’s Health, Wisdom, and. . . WINE!  is a weekly conversation with practitioners, providers, patients, and healers about complex reproductive medicine and women’s health challenges, the value of an integrative approach to these challenges, many of the women’s health topics you’re already thinking about but uncomfortable talking about, and my personal favorite. . . WINE!

Primum cura te ipsum: First, heal thyself.

During this time of (endemic) pandemic, racial trauma, and social injustice, there is a growing emphasis on clinician well-being and self-care. As a therapist, the goal is bigger than just being OK enough to work. Avoiding burnout is not enough. A good therapist sets the bar higher to competently render care. This is an ethical issue.

Clinicians (not just mental health therapists and social workers) MUST to “do their own work.” Therapists need to healing, too. Whether it is through traditional talk therapy or other means, therapists need to attend to their own trauma, developmental journeys, and growth. While the phrase “primum non nocere” (first, do no harm) is a vitally important doctrine in mental health, there is an overlooked and more sequentially vital step in terms of primacy required to avoid doing harm: therapists confront and deal with their own issues FIRST.

The therapist's job is to ensure a helpful clinical relationship, and the relationship itself is the greatest clinical tool that she has. Ensuring that this primary tool is going to be functional, let alone optimal, requires time, effort and a willingness to endure the discomfort necessary for growth. Basic, day-to-day self-care is important for fighting burnout and for resourcing one’s self, especially when tasked with taking care of others and especially during times in which nobody seems to be OK. The invitation, the challenge, the mandate, is to not stop at “resourced.” Aim higher. Get comfortable with discomfort when it means a potential breakthrough. A good therapist does it for you, does it for herself, and does it because it’s her job.

About Tanesha:
As a Mental Health Therapist, Tanesha is particularly passionate about working with women who find it difficult to navigate life’s challenges while managing the responsibilities of work and family. She addresses a wide range of emotional concerns including depression, anxiety, stress management, life/adjustment issues, and past trauma. She is a Certified Trauma Professional with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) training. Tanesha also addresses issues that specifically affect the mental health of women of color. However, all women are welcome!

Resources Mentioned:
Therapy for Black Girls
Therapy for Black Men

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