Emotional Strain as a Psychologist Occupational Vulnerability

One of the greatest challenges that they face is also the most satisfying factor that comes with being a psychologist. In particular, by helping people to cope with and resolve their mental and emotional challenges, psychologists are important in improving mental and emotional wellbeing. Through this, however, they are often faced with a vast emotional burden that emanates from coping with the concerns of each patient who requires therapeutic services. It is hard to deal with the concerns of people on a regular basis and, most especially, for child psychologists. They have to listen to every individual’s problem and come up with productive and efficient methods that will help the client in overcoming the problem. In the attempts to listen to the patients, the child psychologists also struggle in negotiating between identification and empathy along with arrogance and objectivity. Psychologists are supposed to make an inquiry of patients past experiences in order to find out the relationship between the past and the present situations (Wohlford 15). They are thus mandated to utilized their reasoning, emotional and cognitive responses in attending to the client. While digging into the history of the patient in efforts of providing a better understanding of the problem, a child psychologists will end up having emotional strain. Therapist must keenly listen to the children and show an emotional connection and response in order for the patient to reveal all the information required. The psychological principles that guide openness have presented to cause a lot of emotional strain to the psychologists. Life situations coupled with the circumstances presented at work also cause emotional strain to child psychologists. Wohlford asserts that psychologists have a life to live like everyone and they are normally faced with life challenges faced by other people (Wohlford 12). In their career life, child psychologists are likely to face problems such as illness, marriage conflicts, and other traumatic experience. Despite the challenges, these therapists have to put on a smiling face at their workplace pretending to lead a perfect life and offer counseling services. On the contrary, the child psychologist personal lives sometimes cause them a lot of stress leading to an occupational vulnerability. Jordaan et al. indicate that “Psychologists become more vulnerable to occupational stress at certain times due to their personal life challenges” (Jordaan et al. 24). Successful psychologists have to learn abilities to make a clear demarcation of work and the personal life. Even though this has to be the case, some personal life situations could be a predicament to the psychologists and thus hamper their daily undertakings resulting in problems of stress management. The cultural and social work situations of the psychologists also cause emotional strain becoming an occupational vulnerability. Child psychologists are supposed to maintain a good relationship with the children and their parents. These specialists are faced with increased work challenges such as demanding client documentations. The enormous stress that arises from the workplace implicates an emotional strain. The cultural context of psychological devaluing and stigmatization of the clients have presented to be detrimental aspects to the life of the psychologists. Files of patients have to be well documented for easier retrieval when needed. After having a tough day of listening and providing counseling to people, psychologists also involve in filling and documentations, which is tedious and cumbersome leading to emotional stress and general vulnerability. In conclusion, the emotional stress, which derives from psychotherapy relationships contribute to the vulnerability of the occupation. Psychologists need to develop a personal touch with their clients who are normally in extreme individual distress and in severe pains of life situations. Psychologists have to attend to the patient's painful life situations and stories of neglect, traumatization, despair, isolation and other painful circumstances that are emotionally stressing to the child psychologists. When the clients describe their life situations, psychologists feel an intensive emotional stress as well while reacting to the stories. Therefore, psychiatrist should be emotionally prepared to overcome all the vulnerable challenges of their profession.

Works Cited

Jordaan, Ilse et al. "Emotional Stress And Coping Strategies In South African Clinical And Counselling Psychologists". South African Journal Of Psychology, vol 37, no. 4, 2007, pp. 835-855. SAGE Publications, doi:10.1177/008124630703700411.
Wohlford, Paul. "Issues Facing Clinical Child Psychology". Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, vol 6, no. 3, 2013, pp. 4-5. Informa UK Limited, doi:10.1080/15374417709532772.