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The past year has been difficult for Ms. Fountain.  So many fulfilling days spent listening to those she tries to help, reassuring them, celebrating with them; yet, there was also the frustration, the long minutes, hours, and days when she couldn't stop thinking of the pain and the struggles of her clients. 

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Loses Her Peace and Smile

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Loses Her Peace and Smile

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Professional Counselors are highly susceptible to burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma. Because of the level of empathy and compassion that many counselors feel, counselors need to prioritize personal self-care. As a piece of self-care, it is important that a counselor allocate time for reflection, peer collaboration and support, and/or even person counseling for the counselor in order to be proactive in avoiding burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary trauma.

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Illustrated children's book cover of a middle aged, grayish blonde haired, female counselor who seems sad and lost as she holds a lantern looking into the distance

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In the past, Ms. Fountain felt a sense of purpose and positivity.  Her work as a counselor was her passion.  However, over the weeks and months, more and more seemed to drain her of her peace.  She was tired.  She felt like she had nothing left to give.  Yet, she knew her purpose and pressed on.  With a shaky smile on her face, she continued counseling and held the tears back for the drive home.    

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Feels the Weight of it All 

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Feels the Weight of it All 

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Self-care is a crucial aspect of the counseling profession. Often as individuals, we tend to focus on what is in front of us, what we need to do at work, at home, for everyone else. In the process, we may lose sight of our personal struggles and stressors. Just as we would remind our clients that they have to prioritize their own health and well-being, we need to also have a plan in place for person self-care so that we may better serve our clients and the counseling profession.

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Illustrated children's book cover of a middle aged, grayish blonde haired, female counselor who seems exhausted, sad, and weary with her head in her hands at her desk

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Ms. Fountain began to reflect on her feelings, life events, and her needs.  She discovered that somewhere over the year, she began pushing more and more of her needs aside, to focus on others.  Ms. Fountain started by taking note of how she was spending her time and her feelings.  

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Finds Her Peace

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Finds Her Peace

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The first self-care strategy which I will use as a graduate student and future counselor, is Time and Task Management. Over the last several months, I have discovered the importance of implementing a calendar. For me, this is a more extensive process than just writing appointments and due dates. It involves identifying tasks, prioritizing, tracking progress, notes, and reflection, essentially enabling me to focus my time, energy, and thoughts on the priorities, the purposeful, and the positive.

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Illustrated children's book cover of a middle aged, grayish blonde haired, female counselor who seems peaceful, relaxed, and happy sitting on a peaceful porch writing in a planner

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Ms. Fountain now plans for the moments of relaxation, enjoyment, laughter, and peace. Ms. Fountain has more to give now that she has found her peace and her smile.  Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely learned that she must prioritize her own self-care or her fountain might not have the capacity to flow into others.

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Finds Her Smile

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Ms. Fountain-Flows-Freely Finds Her Smile

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The second self-care strategy which I will implement is time for personal pursuits and hobbies. I enjoy photography, drawing, and painting, but I rarely take the time to enjoy these activities. Each of these activities give me a sense of enjoyment and fulfillment.

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Illustrated children's book cover of a middle aged, grayish blonde haired, female counselor who is laughing and painting outside on a porch