Adventure Therapy and Supervision – Fighting Burnout – Emotional First

Aid for PractitionersPart A

Dr. Stephan Natynczuk And

Dr. Elspeth Schwenk

In adventure something happens for everyone!

But…Who takes care of the practitioner?

What support do you need?And where will itcome from?

This workshop is a conversation …& the beginning of some action research…

to explore how we can fight burnout by providing emotional first aid & reflective support through supervision

Fighting Burnout – Emotional First AidBurnout occurs when we have given too much, & left ourselves with little or no reserves. Burnout is thatsense of totaldepletion of innerresources – wheretiredness creeps in& creativity givesway to frayedemotions & poorjudgement.

We have all felt tired and exhausted, a little drained and uninspired.

Burnout – is a little beyond feeling ‘reasonably tired’ – it diminishes our sense of good judgement & stress symptoms can easily become apparent such as:

poor concentrationpoor sleep and loss of appetiteedgy emotionsa range of physical complaints strained relationships at work & home

generally feeling stressed!

What is stress?

• A familiar term and part of our everyday vocabulary

• A reasonable amount of stress enables us to cope with threats through the ‘fight or flight’ response

• However, ongoing & persistent stress is detrimental to our health & wellbeing and leads directly to burnout – where we stop doing the things we generally love to do!

“We can find ourselves under too much stress & pressure by the psychological, mental & emotional demands of dealing with: workloads interacting with a range of people balancing conflicting needs coping with difficult working conditions

& the whole range of problems we face every day.” Hartley, 2003.

Exercise: stress & your mental abilityWhat have you noticed about yourself recently?

Poor decision makingInability to concentrateDifficulty with thinking clearlyPoor memoryLoss of creativityLess able to plan your workLess able to prioritiseIncreasing sense of loss of control in lifeOther symptoms……

And when does this most occur?

Exercise: Stress & your emotions

What else do you notice?

Feeling upset & tearfulMood swingsFeeling de-motivatedFeeling like a failureFeeling unable to copeFeeling powerlessBeing irritableAnxiety & depression

Feeling panickyFeeling apatheticWithdrawing into yourselfLack of enjoymentFeeling angrySense of hopelessnessFeeling isolatedLoss of humourLoss of hopeOther………

Exercise: The need to take care of ourselves

What do you do to take good care of yourself?

How do you unwind and let go of stress?

What steps or precautions have you put in place to look after yourself physically, emotionally & mentally?

Emotional First Aid!We are all familiar with first aid, but what preventive or restorativemeasures do we take to look after our emotions and sense of wellbeing?

Supervision:

A chance to stop and think.

An opportunity to reflect… on what went well, & what could be developed a little more.

A safe place - in which to unpack, explore, & recharge the batteries.

Supervision prevents isolation….

It is a restorative conversation

A time when the practitioner canunwind and let go….

Within the UK, ‘super’-vision has become an integral part of any therapeutic undertaking.

The BACP regards the on-going provision of supervision essential to ethical therapeutic practice.

Supervision is NOT anotherlayer of Line management!

Supervision is a separatespace. A restorative conversation. An opportunity for safe reflection.

Supervision offers a sense of containment within which we can celebrate & mourn, and feel comfortable in exploring & downloading our emotions as well as regaining a sense of equilibrium & perspective.

The BACP’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice 2010) establishes the difference between supervising and managing:

“There is a general obligation for all counsellors, psychotherapists, supervisors and trainers to receive supervision/consultative support independently of any managerial relationships” in order to “enhance good practice… and protect clients from poor practice” (BACP, 7/8).