5 Daily Self-Care Strategies for Therapists to Avoid Burnout

Working in mental health means regularly supporting people who are emotionally stressed or distressed, and that emotional labor can create a taxing environment for therapists themselves.

Which naturally raises the question: who cares for the caregivers?

Claire Dunne (2015) revisits Carl Jung’s idea of the “wounded healer”: therapists and analysts often draw on their own experiences of pain when helping others, and they must decide whether to become part of the story or to hold an authoritative stance in the therapeutic role. That tension highlights why self-care is so important for those in the profession.

Before you continue: this article references practical tools and worksheets designed to help therapists and clients manage stress and restore balance.

Why Self-Care Is Vital for Mental Health Practitioners

Mental health difficulties are common among therapists, psychologists, and other professionals who work in healthcare settings. People in these roles face elevated risks for stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, decreased job satisfaction, social isolation, and even depression. These outcomes can affect therapists’ personal relationships, sense of self-worth, and professional effectiveness.

Surveys have shown higher lifetime rates of self-reported mental health problems among clinical psychologists than in the general population, and systematic reviews document substantial rates of work-related stress and burnout among therapists. Given these realities, intentional self-care is not optional; it is essential—for therapists’ own well-being and for the quality of care they provide.

Benefits of Self-Care Plans for Therapists

Structured self-care plans deliver several important benefits:

• Greater self-awareness: Reflecting on their own reactions and needs helps therapists better understand how personal experience can influence clinical work.
• Improved therapeutic work: When therapists attend to their own needs, they are better able to engage authentically and effectively with clients.
• Emotional containment: Self-care strategies help therapists manage strong emotions so those feelings do not overwhelm sessions.
• Externalization of stress: Concrete plans and routines create distance from stressors, making them easier to address and resolve.

Four Real-Life Self-Care Plan Examples

Begin designing a self-care plan with a short assessment. Ask yourself: Do I believe I deserve self-care? Do I have a list of reliable self-care activities? Have I made self-care a regular habit? Your answers will point to priorities to include in the plan.

1. Physical Health

Therapists often experience physical effects of chronic stress—fatigue, weight changes, and disrupted sleep. A practical self-care plan might include a regular exercise schedule, consulting a nutritionist or personal trainer to tailor a plan, and sharing your goals with family or a colleague to increase accountability. Prioritizing sleep hygiene and regular hydration are simple, high-impact measures.

2. Cognitive Self-Care

Therapists need cognitive clarity to think clearly during sessions and to separate work-related thoughts from personal life. Schedule daily short practices—such as brief meditation, mindful breathing, or a consistent time for reading for pleasure—to clear mental clutter. Noting when intrusive thoughts arise and using grounding or sensory awareness exercises can also restore focus.

3. Emotional Self-Care

Working with intense emotions requires clear boundaries and replenishing activities. A gratitude journal in which you record one thing you appreciate each week can shift attention away from negativity. Allowing yourself permitted expressions of emotion—talking with a peer, attending personal therapy, or using creative outlets—helps process difficult feelings rather than suppress them.

4. Spiritual Self-Care

Engaging with spiritual or reflective practices can provide distance from clinical material. This might include listening to calming music, spending time in nature, practicing loving-kindness meditation, or setting aside reflective time for values clarification and meaning-making. These practices reconnect therapists to sources of strength beyond the therapy room.

12 Practical Self-Care Strategies and Techniques

Incorporate a range of practices across physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual domains. Mix small daily habits with larger weekly or monthly rituals.

Physical

1. Maintain a balanced, nutritious diet—consider professional guidance if needed.
2. Drink water regularly and keep fluids accessible throughout the day.
3. Prioritize consistent, restorative sleep with a regular schedule and bedtime routine.

Cognitive

1. Read for pleasure to shift focus away from clinical content.
2. Monitor and reframe negative self-talk to reduce stress and rumination.
3. Participate in personal therapy to process work-related challenges in a safe space.

Emotional

1. Balance difficult sessions with mood-lifting activities (e.g., watch a light-hearted film).
2. Use positive affirmations to acknowledge effort and competence.
3. Allow yourself appropriate emotional release—crying, journaling, or speaking with a trusted peer.

Spiritual

1. Schedule regular time for self-reflection—at home, in nature, or in a journal.
2. Accept uncertainty—recognize that you do not need to have every answer.
3. Spend time outdoors to recover from workplace demands and restore perspective.

Free Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF)

Detailed, science-based exercises can equip therapists and clients with tools to manage stress and find a healthier balance. Consider downloading practitioner exercises and worksheets to integrate into your self-care plan.

Helpful Worksheets and Practical Tips

Worksheets and short exercises make self-care concrete. Below are accessible ideas therapists can use personally and adapt with clients.

The Five Senses and Grounding

Simple sensory awareness tasks help restore calm. A “Five Senses” worksheet prompts you to notice five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste—quickly anchoring attention to the present moment.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) helps reduce physiological tension by tensing and releasing major muscle groups. Learning and practicing PMR supports both your own regulation and your ability to teach the technique to clients.

Self-Love and Positive Qualities

Keep a self-love journal to record strengths, compliments, and achievements. If journaling is not appealing, write positive qualities on cards and review them when you need a reminder of competence and resilience.

Awareness of Personal Goals

Identify goals outside of work—creative projects, relationships, or learning goals—and track small steps toward them. Goals that extend beyond the therapy room reinforce identity and meaning.

Additional Practical Tips

• Let natural light into your workspace when possible.
• Engage in regular physical activity that you enjoy.
• Limit exposure to distressing media during downtime.
• Practice daily breathing exercises or brief mindfulness breaks.
• Explore creative outlets—drawing, music, or dance.
• Schedule regular “me time” and rituals that help you recover.

Practitioner Tools and Worksheets

Collections of validated exercises, worksheets, and assessments can speed clinical preparation and provide evidence-based ways to prevent burnout and manage stress. Consider assembling a personal toolkit of accessible exercises to use between sessions.

Recommended Books on Therapist Self-Care

Carl Jung: Wounded Healer of the Soul — Claire Dunne

An illustrated biography that explores Jung’s life and the concept of the wounded healer—helpful for therapists reflecting on how personal history can inform clinical practice.

Counselor Self-Care — Gerald Corey, Michelle Muratori, Jude T. Austin II, and Julius A. Austin

This book presents practical approaches for maintaining wellness across a counseling career, offering perspectives for students, early-career professionals, and seasoned clinicians.

Creativity as Co-Therapist — Lisa Mitchell

A practitioner guide that frames therapy as an art form and offers creative strategies to help therapists avoid getting stuck and to sustain therapeutic vitality.

Relevant Resources and Tools

• Short self-care check-ins and worksheets to identify areas that need attention.
• Exercises for recognizing and using personal stress resources.
• Worksheets for noticing inner critical voices and practicing self-compassion.
• Guides for building a practical, daily self-care routine and using the self-care wheel as a planning tool.

A Take-Home Message

Therapists are human: exposure to others’ suffering can lead to fatigue, stress, and professional burnout. Self-care is not a luxury but a professional responsibility that supports both therapist well-being and client care.

Self-care need not be done alone. Personal therapy, peer support, family, and community resources are important allies. Start with honest self-assessment, develop a realistic plan across physical, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual domains, and use practical worksheets and validated exercises to maintain momentum.

Clients rely on therapists’ presence and stability—but therapists must rely on their own self-care just as much.

References

• Barnett, J., & Cooper, N. (2009). Creating a culture of self-care. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 16, 16–20.
• Bennett-Levy, J. (2019). Why therapists should walk the talk: The theoretical and empirical case for personal practice in therapist training and professional development. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 62, 133–145.
• Boellinghaus, I., Jones, F. W., & Hutton, J. (2013). Cultivating self-care and compassion in psychological therapists in training: The experience of practicing loving-kindness meditation. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 7, 267–277.
• Bradley, N., Whisenhunt, J., Adamson, N., & Kress, V. E. (2013). Creative approaches for promoting counselor self-care. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8, 456–469.
• Corey, G., Muratori, M., Austin, J. T., II, & Austin, J. A. (2018). Counselor Self-Care. American Counseling Association.
• Dunne, C. (2015). Carl Jung: Wounded Healer of the Soul: An Illustrated Biography. Watkins Media.
• Koole, S. L., Smeets, K., van Knippenberg, A., & Dijksterhuis, A. (1999). The cessation of rumination through self-affirmation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 111–125.
• Kottler, J. (2012). The Therapist’s Workbook: Self-Assessment, Self-Care, and Self-Improvement Exercises for Mental Health Professionals. John Wiley & Sons.
• Lomas, T., Medina, J. C., Ivtzan, I., Rupprecht, S., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2019). Impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the well-being of healthcare professionals: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Mindfulness, 10, 1193–1216.
• Mann, S. (2004). People-work: Emotion management, stress and coping. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 32, 205–221.
• Mental Health Foundation. (2016). Fundamental Facts about Mental Health 2016.
• Mitchell, L. (2016). Creativity as Co-Therapist: The Practitioner’s Guide to the Art of Psychotherapy. Routledge.
• Simionato, G. K., & Simpson, S. (2018). Personal risk factors associated with burnout among psychotherapists: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74, 1431–1456.
• Shapiro, S., Brown, K., & Biegel, G. (2007). Teaching self-care to caregivers: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on therapists in training. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 1, 105–115.
• Tay, S., Alcock, K., & Scior, K. (2018). Mental health problems among clinical psychologists: Stigma and its impact on disclosure and help-seeking. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74, 1545–1555.
• Wiesenfeld, B. M., Brockner, J., Petzall, B., Wolf, R., & Bailey, J. (2001). Stress and coping among layoff survivors: A self-affirmation analysis. Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, 14(1), 15–34.