Willows conference - 'Help! My empathy is killing me!'

This year's Willows conference is titled -

"Help! My empathy is killing me!" - how to promote well-being and prevent burnout.

We welcome Tony Buckley for the day to lead us through this important issue for counsellors, therapists and others who work face-to-face with clients.

The day will offer a training experience that offers participants practical insight and knowledge into the negative side of empathy which can leave practitioners vulnerable to absorbing too much of the client's energy, story or experience, thereby dissolving some edges of the interpersonal boundaries between self and other. This leads to the potential for overwhelm, vicarious and secondary traumatisation.

Participants are invited to explore the somatic indicators and aspects of self-care. Therapist self-care entails developing some important strategies for optimising health and well-being to prevent burnout and maintain relational fitness for role.