Reflecting On 2021
Happy New Year! I can’t believe that it’s been 4 months since I last posted to my blog, but it goes to show how quickly time is going, and how much can change in a relatively short time. As 2022 begins to unfold, I thought I’d share some of my reflections on 2021, as well as my hopes and plans for the year ahead.
Biggest lessons
Personal
Throughout the pandemic, it became apparent that it’s incredibly easy for me to become consumed by my job, and to spend almost every waking moment at it. As restrictions began to ease in April, I realised that my identity had become entwined with my work to such an extent that I wasn’t making time for my life outside it.
It meant that I had to re-establish some of the boundaries that I’d allowed to slide during the lockdowns, especially around the time I spend working. Since then, I’ve made a point of sticking to my standard working hours, as well as making time to meet up with friends, exercise, and doing more of the things I enjoy.
I also realised that I’m allowed to take longer breaks if I need to, so I took a full two weeks off between Christmas and new year, and it’s enabled me to come back to work feeling more refreshed than before.
Professional
I began facilitating a Peer Support group for other therapists in private practice in December 2019, and it’s helped me to recognise how much I enjoy supporting others, especially other therapists. I’ve learned a lot from the group, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it grows in 2022.
Although I enjoy writing blog posts and creating content, I’ve realised that I’m very sporadic in publishing anything because I don’t set a consistent time to focus on creating things in batches! One of the changes I’m going to be making in 2022 is to block regular time out in my diary specifically for this. Doing so will mean that I can get a sense of the bigger picture and schedule posts to go out consistently, saving time in the long-run.
When I first set up my practice in 2020, the thought of networking with other business owners was terrifying and a totally unknown endeavour for me. Over the last 18 months, my confidence has grown, and I’ve seen for myself just how much businesses owners want to support each other, and build lasting relationships. Regular networking has enriched my business life, and enabled me to meet people I probably wouldn’t have encountered in any other setting.
Biggest achievements
Personal
After 4 years of training, I successfully met all of the requirements to qualify as a psychotherapist in July! When I started the course in 2017, getting to this point seemed impossible, so it’s a joy to be able to say I’ve done it. I don’t think people realise how much of themselves therapists have to give in order to do this work, and I’ll be sharing my tips for anyone thinking about training as a therapist in a future post, so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested.
I took part in the Hull Vigil project in September 2021, and it was a truly magical experience for me (you can read more of my thoughts about it here if you’re interested). Feeling part of a very special and unique community is something that will stay with me, and I’ve been inspired to see more sunrises!
My relationship with exercise hasn’t been great over the years, and I had developed a very distorted attitude towards it that meant that I saw it as a kind of punishment, rather than something to enjoy. Through my own personal therapy, as well as regular personal training sessions, my perspective on it has shifted significantly. I am beginning to see it as simply making an effort to move more, and to do movements that I enjoy, and this reframe has enabled me to focus on building my overall strength and fitness. It turns out that I’m a lot stronger than I thought, and I can currently deadlift 90kg and leg press over 400kg!
Professional
This year has seen a massive increase in people accessing mental health services generally, and I have certainly experienced the full impact of this. Considering that I started my private practice harbouring lots of doubts as to whether anyone would actually want to work with me, in August 2021 I had to stop taking on new clients as I even I had to concede that I’d reached my full capacity!
At the time of writing this, I’ve done 800 hours of client work since meeting my first therapy client way back in 2018, which feels quite unbelievable! My confidence has grown with my experience, and I notice how much of a shift there has been within myself to “trust the process” to work itself out as it needs to.
I’ve delivered several workshops and presentations to various groups this year, and the wheels are in motion for me to offer workshops on some more specialist topics in 2022. If you’re curious, keep your eyes peeled for an update in the next few weeks…
Plans for 2022
I’m now in the process of working towards UKCP accreditation, and although I don’t “need” it for the work I currently do, having it will enable me to expand the services I can offer in future. That feels like a hugely important part of who I am and where I want to go as a therapist, especially because I’d like to train as a supervisor at some point. I’m hoping to become accredited by September 2022, so watch this space for updates!
I believe that ongoing learning and development are fundamental pillars in becoming a better therapist, so I’m going to keep an eye out for training opportunities that intrigue and inspire me throughout 2022. In light of finding more balance in my life, however, I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to do everything right now, and that it’s okay to pace myself.
My ‘word of the year’ for 2022 is balance, as this is the key thing I’ll be working towards in the coming months. Hopefully there won’t be too many changes in response to how the situation with Covid evolves, but we never know, and my intention is that this doesn’t throw me completely off balance as it has done previously.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me and my practice, whether you’ve been there right from the start or have only just stumbled across me; it really does mean the world. My biggest thanks go to each and every client who has shared so much of themselves, and allowed me to be alongside them as they work through their “stuff”.
At the time of writing this post, my caseload is full so I’m not taking on any new clients. If you’re struggling and would like some suggestions for other potential therapists and resources, feel free to contact me using the form below and I’ll be happy to help.