Counselling Therapy For Healthcare Professionals

Counselling Therapy for Healthcare Professionals in Edmonton, AB

How do you know it might be time to consider getting help?

Covid-19 has brought attention to problems that have plagued the healthcare industry for years. Unfortunately, burnout and fatigue are all too common for medical professionals.

Please, reach out for support if you notice that you are experiencing any of the following warning signs:

More easily angered – You notice yourself generally getting angry more often or lacking patience for things that never bothered you before.

Feeling depressed, anxious, or lonely – We all experience ups and downs, but take note if the bad days significantly outweigh the good.

Preferring isolation – Some time alone to unwind is healthy, but when we increasingly want to be alone and avoid interacting with coworkers and loved ones, it’s a sign that you’re in a dangerous spiral.

Loss of empathy for your patients – You find yourself getting annoyed with your patients or struggling to care for them with the same level of care.

Experiencing irregular sleep patterns – The shifts you work can make it more difficult to discern when your sleep patterns have drifted, but extended periods of inadequate sleep or exhaustive sleep that goes well beyond regular hours are both signs that you may be approaching a breaking point physically and emotionally.

Healthcare is a demanding field with a unique set of stressors.

When you began working in the healthcare industry, you were told to expect certain things – irregular hours, extra shifts, the trauma of losing patients, etc. It’s physically and emotionally taxing in a way few other jobs are. Your expectation of stress becomes part of your life script, and, unfortunately, you’re not immune from the effects of that stress just because you expect it.

Physicians, doctors, counselors, nurses, practitioners, and other medical professionals have an increased risk for burnout, fatigue, anxiety, and mental health issues relative to workers in other fields. The rates of suicide within your industry are double that of the general population.

Many health care workers are type A personalities. They pride themselves on their work ethic and ability to do their jobs well. The long hours and drive start during school, and they don’t slow down once they get started.

While you power through late shifts and crazy schedules, you’re often led to feel like taking time for self-care is somehow indulgent compared to the trauma others are experiencing. There’s an unspoken pressure to endure for your patients.

But you don’t have to follow that script.

Change begins when you become aware of these previously unconscious ‘script’ patterns and take steps in a new direction.

Admitting to yourself, and especially to others, that you need help is difficult. But self-care is vital, and you need to change the way you view it. Looking after yourself is what enables you to keep doing your job effectively.

Healthcare counselling is therapy designed especially for those working within the healthcare industry – doctors, nurses, physicians, practitioners, and everyone working on the frontlines treating patients. As a member of the medical community, I understand the needs of healthcare workers. I want to help you process the stressors unique to our industry and equip you with tools to help you manage yourself throughout your workday.

How Tom Burton Healthcare Counselling Can Help

I completed my training at the Manchester Centre for Training and Psychotherapy in 2000 and obtained my certification in Transactional Analysis in 2002. Initially, I worked in private practice as a member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy, before relocating to Victoria, BC in 2007 and then to Edmonton, AB in 2018.

I’m interested in helping healthcare professionals understand how their own unconscious life scripts lead to behaviours that contribute to the symptoms of burnout, and how releasing oneself from these scripts can help manage burnout, through compassion for self and for others.

At Tom Burton Counselling, I offer Clinical Transactional Analysis (CTA) psychotherapy & healthcare counselling therapy services for healthcare professionals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Transactional Analysis is a counselling framework that looks at how and why people function the way they do. In healthcare, we often accept life scripts about how we should work or what we expect from our industry. These expectations lead to behaviors that contribute to burnout, fatigue, exhaustion, anxiety, loss of compassion, and more.

By learning to recognize how these scripts shape our lives and understanding how to release ourselves from the influence of these scripts, we can establish new, healthier patterns in our lives and coping skills to deal with situations that are out of our control. Coping with these scripts can help you manage burnout and empower you to provide your best care.

I have over 20 years experience as a counselor and have provided counselling for the medical industry throughout my career.

Connect with Tom Burton to ask about availability and to book your initial session.