Hello everyone,
I hope you’re all doing okay.
We’re now well into February. The new-year energy has usually settled by this point. The decorations are long gone. The light is slowly returning, but it’s still grey enough that getting up in the morning can feel like an effort.
And in the therapy room, February can feel… full.
By now, many of our clients have moved past the catching us up conversations of January and are back in the thick of their patterns, their grief, their anxiety, their relationship struggles, their self-doubt. The deeper work often begins here.
Which makes me wonder – how are you holding yourself as you hold them?
This work is relational and it is cumulative. Each session on its own may feel manageable, but four, five, six sessions in a day – or a week – of attuning, regulating, thinking, containing, remembering, documenting… it adds up.
And because many of us are in private practice, there’s no natural pause built in. No colleague noticing you look tired and telling you to take the afternoon off. No manager checking your workload. Just you, your diary, and your sense of responsibility.
Sometimes I think February is when the quiet tiredness shows up.
Not burnout necessarily. Not crisis. Just a subtle depletion. A slight thinning of the margins.
If that resonates, trust that you are not failing. You are responding normally to demanding, meaningful work.
I’ve been noticing in myself the temptation to tighten up at this time of year wanting to make sure there's enough for the year ahead – to focus on income targets, client numbers, ideas for what I “should” be building next. And whilst ambition and creativity have their place, I also know that if I build from a depleted place, everything feels heavier.
So this month, I’m gently asking myself:​
Where am I over-giving?
Where am I under-resting?
What would “steady” look like instead of “more”? I'm definitely looking for steady now.
You might like to reflect on something similar.
A few small February check-ins, in case they’re useful:
• Is your caseload at a level that feels sustainable, not just financially viable?
• Are your breaks between sessions real breaks, or admin catch-ups?
• When is your next proper day off – and is it protected?
• Is there a client dynamic you’re carrying alone that might benefit from supervision or peer reflection?
• Are you eating properly on work days? Drinking water? Moving your body?
These are not glamorous questions. But they are the ones that keep us well.
And perhaps one more:
Who holds you?
Not in a dramatic sense. Just practically. Professionally. Relationally.
The Therapy Exchange exists because private practice can be both freeing and isolating. You are not meant to do this in a vacuum. If you’re feeling stretched, uncertain, flat, inspired, curious – bring it into the space. Start a conversation. Book onto something. Reach out.
We are colleagues, yes. But we are also humans doing intimate work in separate rooms.
As the light slowly returns over the next few weeks, I hope you can let things soften rather than tighten. Steady rather than strive. Sustainable rather than impressive.
You are allowed to build a practice that supports you too.
As ever, thank you for being part of The Therapy Exchange 🌿
Warm wishes,
​Anne (she/her)
The Therapy Exchange 🌿
That's all for now folks!
👩‍💻 If you have anything you would like me to include in the newsletter, whether it's an idea for the newsletter, a book, a top tip, some great CPD you're aware of, or a resource you've made or use that you love, drop me a line at anne@annelewistherapy.co.uk.
P.S. If you’d like to invite a therapist friend to join The Therapy Exchange 🌿 you’ll receive one month free when they join and so will they 🎉 Just email me to let me know and I’ll set it up for you both.
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