Josh Curie & Associates Therapy

03/24/2023

One of the most common emerging themes in therapy this year thus far has been professional burnout. While there are many ways to conceptualize and define burnout, I often think of it in a few ways:

1) Unrealistic Job Demands (too many deliverables being asked of you or you are felt pulled in too many directions).

2) Poor fit between vocational strengths and job objectives (folks working in careers that they can do are credentialed for but lack the passion for)

3) Little energy or motivation to do much of anything outside of work (get through the work day and want to sit on the couch and watch TV or relax but it feels more like numbing than simply watching TV)

4) General state of fatigue or exhaustion that does not have a medical origin (i.e. sleep apnea or something else).

There is no quick fix to burnout--reaching burnout can take months or years and to reverse some of the feelings of burnout can take long periods of time too. Here are some recommendations to get started on reducing burnout symptoms.

1) Take an honest inventory of your current job and how well you like it/think your skill sets are aligned with the tasks you are asked to complete. If there is a mismatch, what type of work would allow you to financially still be able to make it but be better suited for your skill set?

2) Be realistic about the type of work environment that would be best for you. Some folks thrive with all remote work, while others do best full-time in person. Still, others are enjoying a hybrid approach. Don't feel bad about what works best for you and try to see if your current agency is able to help support you in the style that works best for you. If not, perhaps it is time to look for an agency that has increased flexibility.

3) Be regularly thinking about stress-management. One school of thought is that burnout is the result of ineffective stress management. What are the sources of your stress? What can be eliminated? What protective factors can be incorporated to help manage the stress (vacation, yoga, walks, deep breathing, switching departments, hybrid approach, fun social events outside of work, etc?)

4) Get good at setting effective boundaries. Commit to not checking work emails outside of traditional work hours. Say "no" to additional work opportunities that you are not passionate about. Decline optional networking events unless you are really into them. Do not feel like you have to be a generalist and do it all in your field to make a difference!

The reality is that although some of us might really enjoy the work that we do, for a lot of folks, joy and contentment comes from family, friends, sports, and other sources outside of the workplace. Don't work yourself so ragged that you have no time for other enjoyable things!

Happy Spring!

01/10/2023

We don't do a lot of social media posting, as most of our time is devoted to clients and continuing education. However, I thought it might be nice to share occasional common themes that come up in therapy. So I'll begin.

Theme # 1 I'm too old/ inexperienced/ out of shape to do X, Y, and Z.

As we age, we become more aware of how things have changed from our youth. We might have less overall energy, emerging or prolonged body pain, and/or we might be juggling a career, a partner and children, etc. We may regularly feel that we have competing devotions and not enough time to get everything in.

What I have noticed is a lot of analysis paralysis. When folks say they do not have time to work out, working out often to them means 5-6 times per week for 30 minutes or more. That does indeed sound like a big jump if your baseline is little to no activity. However, thinking about something more like 10 mins per day, 3 days a week is much more of a realistic start for most people. It's something that is measurable and still requires some discipline and thought but allows you to have off days and time for rest and recovery. But, in my opinion, most importantly, it gets you out of the analysis paralysis where you know you need to do something but find yourself doing nothing instead because of all you feel you need to accomplish. It's less important WHAT you do than DOING SOMETHING. What 1 thing are you ready to commit to?

Part of why I initially started offering walk and talk therapy sessions was to help folks get in some steps while also having a therapy session; we accomplished movement and therapy at the same time and also get to experience some mindfulness in action, as we look at the birds, notice the trees, pay attention to the temperature, etc.

Another example is dating. I get that many folks don't imagine finding themselves single at 40+ and having to think about dating all over again after perhaps not being single for a number of years. Often I hear "people are not going to want to date someone my age" or folks become fairly critical about the aging process, with comments such as "I used to look much better, but now I have all these wrinkles," or "I am worried that I will not perform as well as I used to in the bedroom." But love truly can happen at any age. A lot of folks, especially as they get older, are hesitant to use online dating apps and there is nothing wrong with that. While a lot of people do turn to dating apps to find local singles, many individuals are still finding love organically...BUT these are often people who have decided to engage in activities they enjoy (sports, knitting, social groups, vacation groups, recovery groups, neighborhood cleanups, etc) and work to get a bit out of their comfort zone. So if you find yourself single and struggling to find romance or love, focus on doing an activity that you enjoy and keep your eyes open for potential suitors. I have folks 60+ regularly starting brand new hobbies, beginning to date again, building strength and stamina, etc and that could be you too. You just got to figure out how to get the ball rolling for you!

Best,

Josh

04/06/2022

04/04/2022

We are proud to be a Certified LGBT Business Enterprise! :)

04/04/2022

We started as a small part-time practice in the Fall of 2019 and have expanded to a team of 6 providers. Unlike some other practices that have a specialized focus among all providers, we have different specialties and populations served but come together under three main values: 1) the importance of serving LGBTQ and BIPOC populations, 2) a focus on economic justice, meaning being able to provide high quality mental health therapy services independent of economic situation (we accept a number of Medicaid and Medicare plans), and 3) Prioritizing good and healthy therapeutic relationships and provider sustainability by keeping caseloads manageable to avoid provider burnout and better quality sessions. We rather put folks on a waitlist rather than continue to add clients to a therapist caseload.

With that being said, we do have openings for our three new clinicians Dominique, Victoria, and Jon. Please inquire within and share as appropriate. We look forward to working with you!

Thanks,

Josh Curie,
Clinical Director/Therapist & Owner

04/04/2022

04/04/2022