No one wants to be called a hypocrite. A hypocrite means you are a fraud. You say one thing but live in a different way. How many times are we hypocrites as therapists?
We tell our clients that they need to spend more quality time with their spouse or children but we stay at the office late into the evening and are too tired and worn out to spend quality time with our families once we get home. How many times have you recommended an exercise regimen to a client while you hit the snooze on the alarm skipping your workout time?
We, as therapists, often disregard our own advice by ignoring the messages we say day in and day out and fail to implement them in our own lives (Kottler, 2003). If we believe the advice is so important for a healthy life, why do we not take our own advice? When we fail to take care of ourselves and our personal lives it can lead to burnout and the inability to be good therapists to our clients. One of the most important things for our clients might be for us to leave the office and spend time with our family, replenishing ourselves so we are better equipped to work with them the next time we see them.
In summary, take your own advice!
Kottler, J. A. (2003). On being a therapist. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Cindy A. Geil, M.A.
WKPIC Doctoral Intern