Healing is not a job it's a calling ... I think I saw that on a bumper sticker somewhere, but it is true. Those of us in the mental health profession have the gift to promote growth and healing in those who have been unable to find solace. And because we spend our days opening our hearts and minds to those in greater need, we must remember to take time to heal ourselves from the weight we carry of a thousand stories of trauma, abuse, damage and sadness.
As Kendrick & I ventured into the filming phase and realized our focus had shifted to the importance of self-care among us clinicians, I felt overcome by guilt as I realized…. I don’t really engage in my own self care. I was forced to take action and began attending cardio dance classes, I began leaving my phone unattended for a couple hours each evening, and spending more dinners focusing on what my husband had to say rather than caught up in my own stress of work and school. I must say though, this documentary project has also been a form of self care by encouraging me to tap into my creative side... Thanks Kendrick!
I have learned that while healing and people skills may be strengths of mine, using a video camera is not. In attempting to film my interview with Tara Bogs, a START director who is also writing her dissertation on burn-out among mental health clinicians, I managed to completely make a mess of the sound during the interview. At points it was too loud, at other points there was no sound, oh and to add insult to injury the lighting was a little off as well. Lessons learned, but now we must do the interview over! Despite the sound snafu, I would not change the process for anything…
-- N. Schwarz
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