We all have a number. Do you know what yours is?
All therapists have a number: how many people they can see in a day or a week before experiencing fatigue. Why is knowing this number so important? Because avoiding fatigue is important. If a therapist is tired, they can risk harming their clients. Unlike jobs where you have space to ponder and experiment out of sight of your consumer, or take a break if you need one, a therapist is always front-and-center. There is no “delete” key. There are no coffee breaks. We must make complicated decisions on demand and continuously for 50 minutes while listening to everything that a client is saying. If we are doing our jobs correctly, eventually our clients will fatigue us.
How do you know when you are fatigued? Some examples:
- You notice a greater expenditure of energy to maintain your performance level.
- You find your mind wandering.
- You start watching the clock.
- You find yourself disliking your client.
- You begin to lose control of your facial expressions.
- You begin to dread starting a new session and find ways to procrastinate.
- You fantasize about being at home in your PJs with a good book.
- You find yourself revealing personal information you normally wouldn’t.
- You are happy when a client cancels.
Therapists differ on how they reach the point of fatigue:
Some therapists can see 35 people a week; others max out at 10.
Some therapists can see 8 people with no break; others need a break after 3 people.
Some therapists can see 8 people with Borderline Personality Disorder in one day; others can’t see any.
Some therapists can see 5 couples in a row; others limit themselves to 1 or 2 couples per day.
What are your numbers?
Experiment with the following to discover your “sweet spot”: enough clients to challenge you without causing fatigue:
- Adding or subtracting people.
- Taking a half-hour break after 3 people.
- Working in the morning, afternoon or evening or any combination.
- Working a split shift (i.e. work in morning, take entire afternoon off, and return for evening).
- Working more or less days per week.
- Taking a day off in the middle of the week, or adding a day to your weekend.
- Varying the types of cases you see in a given day.
After you have determined your “sweet spot” be firm about your schedule. Do not take on more clients than you are comfortable with. Remember, just like the mama in the airplane you need to put the oxygen on yourself first if you are going to help your baby.
Yours in the Joy of Knowledge,
Dr. Barbara LoFrisco
P.S. An automated scheduler such as FullSlate facilitates these types of scheduling boundaries.
