How Do Therapists Manage Intense Caseloads?

The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

How Do Therapists Manage Intense Caseloads?

Curt and Katie chat about how to manage clients with high needs. We look at risk factors as well as how therapists can take care of themselves while working with challenging caseloads. We also talk about clinical strategies and effective risk assessments and safety planning as important elements for effective practice.

Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com!

In this podcast episode we talk about how therapists can manage high levels of risk in their caseload

As part of our “Survival Guide” we have been asked to talk through how to manage high intensity caseloads.

What is a high intensity caseload?

· High levels of suicide

· Impulsive or aggressive clients

· Families with a lot of challenges (like trauma, poverty, etc.)

What are the risks for therapists who have high intensity caseload?

· Burnout

· Vicarious Trauma

· Moral Injury

How can therapists take care of themselves when their caseload is challenging?

· Scheduling breaks and other self-care practices

· Timing clients with bigger challenges at times you have more space to address them

· Managing caseload size (i.e., you may have to see clients more than once a week)

· Don’t be alone with challenging cases

· Looking at which problems are structural and which are based on your individual effort

· Assessing your capacity for seeing clients and working with clients

· Understanding how your personal life can impact your ability to work with clients

· Building support and cohesive teams (e.g., DBT Consulting Team)

· Balancing work and personal life effectively

What are clinical strategies for working with high-risk cases?

· Separating your emotions from your clients

· Making sure you get yourself into wise mind before you engage with crisis

· Meet your client where they are, not where they “should be”

· Creating a treatment team

· In-between session contact should be structured and boundaried

· Move away from savior or protector role for clients

· Effective risk assessment and safety planning

Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement:

Our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/therapyreimagined

Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Creative Credits:

Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/

Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https://groomsymusic.com/