If someone asked you to name the core tool of your clinical practice, what would you say? EMDR? CBT? Your favourite assessment measure?

Maybe it's none of the above. And maybe it’s you.

The caring self, who you are in the therapy space, is the primary therapeutic instrument. And like any instrument, it needs tending and tuning.

In this episode, I walk through the Cycle of Caring, a four-phase framework that maps the rhythm we move through with every client: empathic attachment, active involvement, felt separation, and re-creation.

I explore what happens in our nervous systems during each phase, where moral injury and schema patterns show up, and why the phases we skip most, felt separation and re-creation, are exactly the ones that make the rest of the cycle sustainable.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever closed a session, opened the door, and realized you’re still carrying the last client’s material into the next room. It’s for you if “self-care” has started to feel like another thing on the to-do list. And it’s for you if you’ve been wondering whether the weight you’re carrying is burnout, or something more structural.

You hold space for others but where do you go when you need it held for you?

Join me at the ReLit Reset Circle™

A no cost, monthly gathering for therapists who want to stay in this work without losing themselves, while navigating burnout, moral strain, and the emotional weight of practice inside demanding systems.

Next gathering is April 14th 7pm EST where our topic will be “Being Good Enough”.

Register here: https://www.relitpractice.com/circle

Registration gives you access to the replay, subscription to the ReLit Practice Newsletter where I share topics about therapist burnout recovery, moral injury, trauma informed care, and how to stay in this work without losing yourself!

When you register, you'll also get access to the free Reset Checklist, a practical starting point for noticing where your system is right now, and you'll be first in line when doors open for the ReLit Practice program.

References Mentioned

Skovholt, T. M. (2005). The cycle of caring: A model of expertise in the helping professions. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27(1), 82–93.

Skovholt, T. M., & Trotter-Mathison, M. (2016). The resilient practitioner: Burnout and compassion fatigue prevention and self-care strategies for the helping professions (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2003). Schema therapy: A practitioner’s guide. Guilford Press.