With this article, my goal is to empower other clinicians to protect themselves and be better prepared to effectively manage difficult situations in the workplace. I have encountered several individuals in the workplace who, if nothing else, clearly demonstrated the kind of person I do not ever want to be. Later, I realized I was more disappointed and hurt than surprised or angry. And I’ve also encountered people who shocked and angered me with the lack of empathy and respect they showed to myself and others. ![]() I’ve encountered people who were exceptionally kind, generous, compassionate, patient and wise. I have learned a lot from my experiences working in various agencies and organizations over the years. There is a certain idealism that plagues training programs, including ones in the counseling field. This is especially true in times when there was a value or priority conflict between me and the other person. I don’t have time to address all of that in this article, so I’ll focus on one key area I personally wasn’t adequately prepared to navigate: my working relationships with others. In general, I do not feel we are preparing counselors to work in an agency or organization with other types of treatment providers, other types of professionals and even our fellow professional counselors. Pretending we don’t is what gets us into trouble and what causes real harm to others. I’m sure others could reflect on some of my less-than-stellar moments, where I was acting out of a bruised ego or was simply hungry, and I took out my own stuff on others. There’s a spectrum ranging from having a bad day to having a bad character, and we all bounce around on that to some extent. I want to preface this with the acknowledgment that the people whose actions I’m discussing here aren’t all good or bad. Looking back, I’ve had some truly memorable encounters that taught me what no book, class or training ever could. And I am not talking about my clients I’m referring to other professional behavioral health providers. One of the most difficult things for me along my career journey has hands-down been dealing with other people. ![]() I started my counseling program in 2007, so after working 15 years in the field, I have … thoughts.
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