Dr. Stacey Kosmerly: Therapists Seeking Therapy

Thoughts on Record: Podcast of the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Many of those who work in mental health services are personally connected to challenges related to mental health and many have been clients of mental health services. OICBT clinical psychologist Dr. Stacey Kosmerly joins us for a discussion of the the very important topic of mental health service providers seeking out mental health services themselves. In this conversation we cover:

• the gift of personal development that can often come with providing therapy
• a brief review of rates of psychopathology among mental health providers
• discriminating between mental health challenges experienced by providers owing to an underlying vulnerability vs. being directly precipitated by providing psychotherapy and how the two interact
• reflections on problematic interpersonal patterns that can emerge in therapy - especially early in one’s career
• bearing our responsibility as therapists compassionately as well as through a lens of radical acceptance
• the benefits and insights that can come from being a client with respect to the provision of your own services to clients
• reasons why those providing therapy might be especially likely to benefit from therapy themselves (activation of attachment systems/schemas, vicarious traumatization, moral injury related to working in mental health system)
• consideration of some of the barriers to seeking help (confidentiality, dual relationships etc
• clinician reservations around open talking about their needs/challenges of working in the field

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Dr. Stacey Kosmerly is a practicing clinical psychologist at the OICBT. She comes from a training background in Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). Her current practice consists largely of working to support individuals in their development of skills for more effetely relating to and regulating their emotions and moving towards a more fulfilled life. Her personal and clinical experiences have left her with a deep belief in the healing that can come from changing our relationship to our emotions.