Episode 47: You Don't Have to Have It All Together to Help Other People There can be an unspoken expectation in the helping professions that because we support other people through difficult situations, we should somehow have our own lives completely figured out. But helping professionals and leaders are human too. We have relationships, families, parenting challenges, health issues, grief and loss, conflict, our own mental health journeys and our own histories. Some experiences may be well behind us, while others may be things we're navigating right now. In this solo episode of Not Another PD, I unpack why lived and living experience doesn't automatically make us less capable, ethical or effective professionals. In fact, our experiences can sometimes strengthen our empathy, insight and understanding of the people and systems we work with. I also share a personal story from my early twenties, long before I became a social worker, about turning up to work after a really difficult situation in my personal life. Looking back now, I can see how much I lacked the self-awareness to ask myself a very important question: Am I actually okay to do my job today? In this episode, I talk about: The myth that helping professionals and leaders should have everything figured out.How our personal lives can sometimes affect our professional capacity.Lived and living experience, and the value these experiences can bring to our work.Why shared experience with a client group doesn't automatically mean we should, or shouldn't, work in that field.Recognising our triggers, limitations and potential for over-identification.Why it's okay to acknowledge that a particular field of practice isn't right for you.The role of reflective supervision, self-reflection, boundaries and professional support.The Involvement Continuum, including under-involvement, the ideal range of involvement and over-involvement.How practitioners and leaders can use the Involvement Continuum to reflect on their relationships with clients and teams.One of the biggest messages I want you to take away from this episode is that being incredibly good at supporting other people doesn't mean you won't sometimes need support yourself. Resource mentioned: Involvement Continuum, Foundation House:Access the Involvement Continuum Work with me: I provide professional supervision, group supervision, professional consultation, training and support for helping professionals, leaders and organisations. Group supervision for practitioners and leaders Boundaries as Practitioners online training (AU$59) Free resources for helping professionals and leaders Professional supervision, consultation, training and other services Are you a leader in the helping professions? I'm currently developing new leadership training specifically for leaders working across the helping professions, and I want leaders themselves involved in shaping it. I'm inviting leaders to take part in upcoming online Leadership Focus Groups to share their perspectives on what leaders actually need when it comes to leadership development, reflective practice, boundaries, wellbeing and psychologically safer workplaces. If you're a leader in the helping professions and would like to contribute, I'd love to hear from you. Express your interest in the Leadership Focus Groups Socialise with me: I'd love to keep the conversation going outside the podcast too. Instagram LinkedIn And stay tuned, because this is my last solo episode for a little while. I have some fantastic guest conversations coming up on Not Another PD, and I can't wait to share them with you. I appreciate you being here. Jazmin.
