NEW YEAR Hello everyone,
I hope you're all doing okay and staying warm – it feels very wintery out there!
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means for us to be therapists who also have to run a practice – the client work, the admin, the energy it takes, the gaps we forget to give ourselves… it all adds up.
So, as we edge toward the end of the year, I’ve been looking at my own practice and noticing all the little things that need doing: planning January and what I want and need my client schedule to look like, and thinking about how I will manage a break at the end of the year. It always creeps up faster than I expect.
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is how easy it is for us in private practice to just keep going – partly because we care, and partly because, realistically, if we don’t work, we don’t earn. It’s a tricky balance.
I try (not always successfully!) to take a week off every seven weeks – a practice I learned from my own therapist during training – and when I don’t stick to it, I really feel the difference. Burnout creeps in quietly, and compassion fatigue… well, I learned the hard way that it’s very real.
I’m aware the amount of time I can work before I need a proper break is personal to me and probably, at least in part, due to my being ADHD, and that not everyone will need or want to take such regular breaks. I guess my point is, it’s good for us as therapists to know where our limit is, and to take a break before that. I also find it’s a natural break for clients and their therapy too.
But taking time off will always bring up mixed feelings for those of us in private practice – pride in the freedom we’ve built, anxiety about income, guilt about stepping back, and relief when we finally do. None of that means you’re doing it wrong. It just means you’re human.
As we move toward the end of the year, let this be your nudge to pause and check in with yourself.
What one thing could you do this week to care for both your wellbeing and your practice?
Here are a few ideas, in case they spark something:
- Prepare your end of year break email to clients, confirming your time off.
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- Block out your breaks for 2026, even if they need tweaking later.
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- Set time aside this week to do one thing you’ve been putting off in your practice admin (client notes, chase up unpaid fees, update your cancellation policy).
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- Set time aside to prepare for your supervision so that you get the most out of it, what one client can you bring?
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- Do one thing that you know will make you feel refreshed and tops you up – a slow start to the day, a coffee shop visit, a walk, a proper lunch break, 30 minutes of quiet in the day.
Whatever you choose, let it be something that makes the next few weeks feel a little lighter.
As ever, thank you for being part of The Therapy Exchange 🌿
Warm wishes,
​Anne (she/her)
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 they’ll get 20% off the membership fee for as long as they remain a member 🎉 Just email me and I’ll set it up for you both.
🌿 What’s new in The Therapy Exchange
- Matching: Next round opens week of 1 December 2025
- Intake refresh: New questions to make matching smoother when personal therapy times vary.
🛠️ Practice tools – 10-minute mini audit
Set a timer for 10 minutes and pick 2 to do this month:
- Update your Google Business profile photo.
- Refresh your fees & payment details on website, forms, and templates.
- Skim your cancellation policy – is the wording kind but clear?
- Is there one admin task to you could stop doing (or automate) in 2026?
📚 My Book of the Month — NeuroQueer: A Neurodivergent Guide to Love, Sex, and Everything in Between by C.J. DeBarra
This is a book I have yet to read but, having just come across it, I am planning to add it to my reading pile. It looks like a book that is made up of lived experience and a lot of research and gets some good reviews.
What Goodreads say about the book: 'In short, NeuroQueer is a human, thoughtful, and inclusive exploration of how neurodivergent minds experience some of the most universal — and most intimate — parts of life. Whether you’re neurodivergent yourself, in relationship with someone who is, or simply curious about how identity and neurology shape connection, this book offers insight wrapped in deeply personal reflection.'
Do you have a book you recommend to clients or colleagues? Let me know as I'm always on the look out for interesting books.
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