You Matter Too: Supporting Yourself While Caring for Clients with Complex Needs

You’ve just completed a safety plan with a client who needed support with keeping themselves safe. It’s your third session like this for the week, and each time you leave with a rush of emotions, including tension, fatigue, and uncertainty. However, there’s little time to process, with paperwork waiting and more clients to see.

Does this sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone, and this article is for you.

Frontline workers in the social services sector provide direct services to people who face a wide range of challenges. Many frontline workers are noticing an increasing number of complex mental health concerns from their clients, including trauma, suicidal distress, and substance use struggles.

In a sector full of compassionate, dedicated people, the emotional toll of supporting others in pain is often quietly endured.

If you’ve been feeling less like yourself at work lately, it might be an indicator that your well-being needs some attention and support. In her book Trauma Stewardship, Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky outlined sixteen trauma exposure responses experienced by helping professionals who support clients through adversity and mental health challenges.¹

Here are a few examples that frontline workers may recognize in themselves.¹

Do you see yourself in any of these? These are normal and human responses to being present with others in their pain and not a sign of weakness. Below are some evidence-based ways of gaining awareness about where you are right now, and ways to support yourself through difficult moments.

Awareness is a great starting point for most people, and the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) assessment is a great free tool for people who want to learn more about how their work is positively or negatively impacting them. It contains 30 questions and was made for helpers within social services and other helping professions. This tool can be used regularly to help you track your starting baseline and changes over time. ProQOL² measures four areas:

Rituals between client contact or at the end of the day can help regulate your nervous system and create emotional closure after challenging work. It is a habit you can create based on what has worked in the past or might be something new you could try. Here are some examples below:

Listen to a 7-minute guided mindfulness activity from ACT Mindfully incorporating both the five-senses ritual and the micro-movement ritual.

In social services, it is common for workers to feel emotionally fused with the pain of their clients. However, empathy does not mean absorbing or carrying someone else’s suffering. Setting mental boundaries can be one way of preventing the blurring of lines.

A. Check in with yourself before and after sessions – Ask yourself: “What am I holding onto right now?” and “What is mine to hold, and what isn’t?”

B. Reframe your responsibility – Many helpers can develop a natural “fixing reflex” where there’s an urge to fix, save or solve client problems. Notice your thoughts about this and reframe yourself as a guide, not a fixer. Some people find it helpful to reframe by answering reflective questions in a journal. Ask yourself:

These questions invite you to recognize where your responsibility lies and can help you engage in compassion more sustainably.

An important part of caring for others is caring for yourself. You are not alone in navigating the challenges of difficult client work. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and want to connect with a peer who will listen and support you, access Care to Speak, a peer-based phone, text, and webchat service providing free and confidential support to healthcare and social support workers in BC.