PSYCHOLOGY FOR THERAPISTS
By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist
Therapists spend much of their working lives attending carefully to other people. They are also people with their own relationships, histories, health, responsibilities, limits and need for support.
This hub brings together psychological services and educational articles relevant to therapists, including personal psychological support, therapist wellbeing, occupational stress and burnout, vicarious trauma, reflective practice and professional learning.
Training and professional experience can give therapists language for psychological processes, but professional knowledge does not remove ordinary human vulnerability. Therapists may seek support for the same reasons as anyone else, including anxiety, low mood, grief, relationships, sleep, health changes, trauma, neurodivergence or major life transitions.
Therapeutic work can also bring distinctive demands. Repeated exposure to distress, responsibility for clinical decisions, workplace pressures, difficult boundaries, moral distress, vicarious trauma and the expectation of remaining steady for others can accumulate over time.
The pages below separate personal psychological therapy from educational and professional-learning material. Personal therapy is not the same as clinical supervision, consultation or CPD, although each may contribute to sustainable professional practice in different ways.
These service pages provide pathways to individual psychological support. You do not need to decide in advance whether a concern is primarily personal, occupational or a mixture of both. The starting point can simply be the service that best matches what is currently affecting your wellbeing or functioning.
Individual psychological therapy for therapists who want a confidential space to focus on their own wellbeing, including concerns related to work, life outside work, or both.
Psychological support when sustained workload, organisational pressures, professional responsibility, moral distress or difficulty recovering from work have become central concerns.
A broader therapy pathway when prolonged stress, overload or exhaustion extends across several areas of life rather than being primarily occupational.
These articles bring together therapist-specific wellbeing, reflective practice and professional learning within one educational section. They are intended for general information and reflection rather than as a substitute for individual therapy, clinical supervision or formal training requirements.
Explore how emotional labour, sustained responsibility, workplace conditions, moral distress and reduced opportunities for recovery can contribute to burnout in helping roles.
Read about common experiences associated with occupational burnout and how burnout can overlap with anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties and other concerns.
Explore how sustained therapeutic work can affect physiological arousal, recovery and wellbeing, including the possible impact of secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma.
Explore reflective practice as a way of examining therapeutic work, professional reactions, assumptions, decision-making and opportunities for ongoing learning.
Some therapist concerns overlap with broader areas of psychological support and education. These hubs provide additional pathways without duplicating the therapist-specific service and educational content above.
Explore the broader hub for chronic stress, occupational burnout and sustained demands across work, caring and everyday life.
Explore psychology services and educational information relating to trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD, trauma responses and trauma-informed therapy.
Explore evidence-based psychological approaches and how therapy may be adapted to individual needs, goals and circumstances.
Common questions about psychology for therapists.
This hub brings together individual psychological support and educational articles relevant to therapists, including wellbeing, occupational stress and burnout, vicarious trauma, reflective practice and professional learning.
No. Personal therapy focuses on the therapist’s own psychological wellbeing, functioning and personal concerns. Clinical supervision focuses on professional practice, client care, ethical and clinical decision-making, and professional development. They can complement one another but serve different purposes.
No. Therapists may seek support for the same broad range of reasons as anyone else, including anxiety, low mood, relationships, grief, sleep, health concerns, trauma, neurodivergence or life transitions. Support can also be useful when work pressures are becoming difficult before burnout develops.
Yes. Individual therapy may help with the personal emotional and psychological impact of repeated exposure to distressing or traumatic material. Case-specific clinical decision-making and professional practice issues remain matters for appropriate supervision or professional consultation.
No. They are educational resources intended to support reflection and self-directed learning. Individual practitioners remain responsible for meeting the CPD requirements of their profession, registration body or professional association.
Yes. Appointments are available in person at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and by secure telehealth across Australia where telehealth is clinically appropriate.
The service pathways and educational articles on this page are intended to make it easier to find a useful starting point. You do not need to have the concern neatly labelled before making contact.
Hennessy Clinical Psychology provides psychology appointments for adolescents and adults in person at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast and via secure telehealth across Australia.
For current availability, appointment types and funding information, visit the Appointment Availability page, or make an enquiry when you are ready.