Frontline Mental Health Workers: The Importance of Self-Care During a Pandemic

Professional Experience Article

Audre Lorde said, “self-care is not self-indulgence, it is selfpreservation.” I remember when I was in graduate school, my professors discussed the importance of self-care and being aware of burn out and fatigue. They would discuss the importance of being mindful and making sure we were taking care of ourselves, especially since we would one day be working with people who were struggling with mental health issues. During the pandemic, this resonated with me so much more since I was working at the local community hospital, and it was non-stop. People were struggling with addiction, depression, anxiety, and so on and the fact places were shut down there was nowhere to go and get the help they needed. We remained open during the entire pandemic and now, we were conducting intensive outpatient treatment via telehealth and groups were 7 days a week. I would notice at times I was getting home and wanting to just get in my bed and go to sleep. I became aware I was burned out. Although the hospital would call frontline workers as superheroes, I felt defeated. I knew I had to take time for myself.

I then recalled a presentation I completed in my doctorate program and discussing the importance of being able to assess for burnout. I remember pulling up the presentation and completing the assessment and realizing I was completely burned out. I stopped and took a moment to think about some of the things I enjoyed doing and how I have been putting things on the back burner do the non-stop work environment due to the pandemic. I have taken for granted all the things I enjoyed doing before the country shut down. I realized how much I missed those things and I started to take care of myself. I started to work out at least 30 minutes a day and eating healthier. I would read again for fun, and I would just sit on my balcony and practice mindfulness meditation and radically accepting we were in a pandemic, and this would eventually pass, and we can get back to “our new normal” one day.

I started to implement self-care into the group therapy, which I included in my group with pregnant women, who were currently struggling with addiction. By reminding the clients the importance of being able to take care of themselves and how essential it is for their mental health and well-being, it helped them gain a better understanding of the importance of self-care for both them and the baby. I would use myself as an example during the session and explain to them, “if I am not okay, I am not going to be an effective therapist for them.” I would discuss the importance of being aware of when I needed a break and what I would do to take care of myself, which I then included self-care routines during the group. For example, we would bring in essential oils and smell them during the session and we would also do creative activities, like painting and woodwork, which some included in the baby’s nursery when the baby was born. Participants would then start implanting those things outside of the group and would develop new hobbies, which helped their mental health. In making sure I was practicing self-care for myself, I realized how important is for clients to practice it as well, that we would do self-care together, which also helped because everyone was feeling isolated due to the pandemic. This practice also allowed for clients to learn how to love themselves, which then helped them establish healthier relationships and boundaries with others.

I feel self-care is one of the most important things to put into practice as not only a therapist but also encouraging patients to practice self-care as well. During the pandemic, self-care was one of the most essential things that kept me going especially in the hospital environment I was working in and making sure I would adapt a daily self-care routine so I would check in with myself and making sure of practicing self-love with myself.

Melina is currently lead therapist and navigator for the Mothers in Recovery Program at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, which helps pregnant women struggling with addiction deliver babies born substance-free. She graduated with her Master’s degree from Barry University and a current PhD candidate in Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University. Melina has been an LMHC since 2017 and is a Qualified Supervisor for MHC and MFT interns. She is also a certified clinical trauma professional (CCTP).