{"id":187367,"date":"2025-06-15T21:52:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T21:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187367\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T21:52:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T21:52:29","slug":"when-therapists-need-a-break-eye-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/187367\/","title":{"rendered":"When therapists need a break | Eye News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lisha Chheda, a Mumbai-based psychologist<\/a> <\/strong>and co-founder of Rubaroo Breaking Silences Foundation, a decade-old NGO working with survivors of child sexual abuse, began her practice 13 years ago. \u201cHuman stories always intrigued me. Plus, being the older child, I have always been a caregiver,\u201d shares the 37-year-old, who would juggle her time between her NGO and private practice, where she would see eight to 10 survivors a day. But two years ago, she noticed herself shutting down in a session.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was too exhausted to even write notes, something I\u2019d never skipped. I just slept,\u201d she shares, adding that it wasn\u2019t so much about that session as it was about the cumulative toll that her work was taking. It was the same time when her NGO was rescuing children who were sexually abused. \u201cWe were handling the legal procedures and the unpredictability of the situation. It required my involvement for over a month and left me in a constant state of anxiety and fatigue,\u201d says Chheda, who has a Master\u2019s in Counselling Children and Young People from University of Nottingham, UK.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She sought therapy, even scheduled SOS sessions to cope. \u201cOnce the children were safe, I compartmentalised both my schedule and my mind. I consulted fellow professionals, drew up a realistic timeline and planned a break where I decided not to see children or take on any work at the time.\u201d Following the break, she reassessed her workload. Chheda now sees only one to two people at the NGO and three to five clients in her private practice. She acknowledges that she was able to cut down because her private practice isn\u2019t her only source of income.<\/p>\n

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\"therapist\" Irawati Joglekar limits herself to no more than five clients a day<\/p>\n

For Mumbai<\/a> psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Syeda Ruksheda, 50, who has been in the profession for over 25 years and has seen all kinds of clients, from drug addicts to young students with suicidal tendencies, nothing rattles her. But about two decades ago, one man managed to get under her skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a client, a woman in her late 20s with a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. She had an arranged marriage with a man who wasn\u2019t very wealthy but was a respected leader in his community. At home, however, he was abusive. It began with emotional and verbal abuse and eventually turned physical. She wanted me to see her husband and after much persistence, we managed to get him to come in,\u201d says Dr Ruksheda. The meeting shook her in a way few cases ever had. \u201cHis abuse was gendered, purely because he was a man and she was his wife. I hated his guts,\u201d she says, \u201cBut I had to meet him to help the woman and so we did. I still remember it affecting me deeply, making me anxious before our meeting. I would practise deep breathing, tell myself to stay professional, maintain a poker face and not get pulled into his narcissism. After each session, I would pace in the clinic, have a cup of tea and make sure to hit the gym in the evening. I even ranted about it at home, sometimes to friends, to let it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

******<\/p>\n

\"Festive<\/a>
\n\"therapist\" Pooja Joshi spends time with her canines \u2014 a 10-year-old Shih Poo and a three-year-old Golden Retriever<\/p>\n

While there is limited empirical data, an article, \u2018Burnout in Indian Psychiatrists\u2019 (2018) by Hyderabad<\/a>-based psychiatrist Dr Poduri Gopala Sarma, highlighted that a survey of 110 Indian psychiatrists found 46 per cent had burnout in at least one dimension (personal, work or patient-related), with 32 per cent of psychiatrists meeting burnout criteria.<\/p>\n

Empathy fatigue is real, admits Thane-based educator, psychotherapist and neuropsychotherapist Pooja Joshi who has been practising for 13 years. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t cripple you but slows you down,\u201d says Joshi, 38, who separated from her husband two years ago and now lives with her two \u201cgirls\u201d \u2014 a 10-year-old Shih-Poo and a three-year-old Golden Retriever. On an average, she works six days a week and sees five-six clients every day. On days, she finds herself \u201ccerebrally paralysed\u201d, she spends time with her canines or goes for a swim or meets her father who lives close-by. \u201cThe best thing about him is that he listens without offering me any solution. I also journal.\u201d She also takes two days out every 45 days to do nothing. \u201cI don\u2019t meet my parents or friends. Even if I step out for a drive, I don\u2019t stay away from home consciously for over an hour,\u201d she says. It means sleeping, reading (a lot of Osho and self-help) and baking. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need me to spend my brain at all. It is about precision, about following a recipe to the T,\u201d says Joshi.<\/p>\n

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Recently, the Netflix series Adolescence offered a compelling glimpse into the work of a psychologist. In the real world, Mumbai-based forensic psychologist Krupa Nishar navigates similar challenges every day. Soon after completing her master\u2019s degree in forensic psychology in 2019, she joined the Gujarat-based National Forensic Sciences University as an assistant professor, where she trained Indian and international police officers in forensic psychological tools. Later, she moved to Delhi<\/a> to work at the Bureau of Police Research and Development. Currently in Mumbai, working with an international NGO, Nishar has interviewed prisoners, sexual offenders, murderers and sexual abuse survivors.<\/p>\n

\"therapist\" Krupa Nishar has recently started visiting spiritual centres for meditation<\/p>\n

While Nishar tries her best not to let work seep into her personal life, she admits that it sometimes does. \u201cI know areas in Mumbai where sexual abuse cases or violent crimes are prevalent. When I pass through those neighbourhoods, I\u2019m on high alert. It changes the way I walk, the way I behave. I know who\u2019s looking where. I\u2019ve always been tiptoeing, which is good for my safety but it\u2019s also tiring,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

She acknowledges that the NGO sector is now more mindful of burnout. \u201cMany have mental health support systems for psychologists. There\u2019s a growing awareness that burnout is inevitable and people might need to take a break and that\u2019s okay,\u201d says Nishar.<\/p>\n

While much of the conversation around mental health focuses on coping, prevention is just as crucial. For Dr Zirak Marker, 51, a psychiatrist who works closely with children and adolescents, maintaining emotional distance is essential but far from easy.<\/p>\n

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To avoid counter-transference \u2014 projecting his own emotions or experiences onto patients \u2014 Marker practises what he calls detached attachment. \u201cYou have to preserve your therapeutic energy. If you get too emotionally involved, you\u2019ll burn out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Yet, nothing prepared him for losing a patient to suicide. It happened a decade ago. The young adult had been in therapy for nearly five years and had shown marked improvement. \u201cBut when someone decides to end their life, it\u2019s often carefully planned. In the weeks leading up to it, they seem calm \u2014 that\u2019s the hardest part. You think they are getting better, but they have made up their mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news left him reeling. Then came the guilt: \u201cDid I do enough? Should I have tried a different approach?\u201d Although the family didn\u2019t blame him, the self-doubt lingered. \u201cI hit a low point. I questioned whether I was even meant for this. I felt exposed, vulnerable. Then came the shame. Eventually, I sought help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the emotional toll, stepping away wasn\u2019t an option. Marker, who balances roles at the Aditya Birla Integrated School, Mpower, and his private practice, continued seeing up to 10 clients a day. \u201cThere was no luxury of taking a break,\u201d says the south Mumbai-based psychiatrist and father of two. Though he insists it didn\u2019t affect his clinical judgment, he became hyper-vigilant. \u201cIf someone mentioned suicidal thoughts, I\u2019d give 110 percent to ensure their safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Even with years of experience, burnout creeps in. For Marker, the first sign is a headache. \u201cThat\u2019s when I know I need to pause. I switch off by watching something silly, going for a walk or swim, catching up with a friend \u2014 anything to step away from my emotions for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others in the field, too, have had to confront the emotional weight of their work. Mumbai-based Irawati Joglekar, 36, has spent 13 years working with trauma, with about 80 per cent of her clients dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), often linked to childhood abuse.<\/p>\n

The first time the work felt overwhelming was seven years into her practice. The exhaustion took a physical toll \u2014 disrupted sleep, constant fatigue and creeping self-doubt. At the time, she was juggling multiple roles, working with NGOs, schools and even counselling at Mumbai\u2019s Tata<\/a> Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). \u201cTherapists aren\u2019t paid well until they build a private practice and I was trying to do it all.\u201d She sought therapy herself, which brought some relief. But it wasn\u2019t until 2021, when she found her current therapist, that things truly shifted. \u201cIt helped me process both burnout and personal challenges. I started going regularly and made a conscious effort to reduce my workload,\u201d says Joglekar.<\/p>\n

\"therapist\" Zirak Marker turns to art and horse riding to unwind<\/p>\n

While urban practitioners often grapple with daily emotional burnout, working in conflict zones brings a different magnitude of trauma. Dr Abdul Majid, born and raised in Kashmir, has lived through the Valley\u2019s most violent years, enduring personal loss and disrupted student life, besides treating patients with bullet wounds. Before his MD in psychiatry, he was posted in a rural area as an assistant surgeon for about nine months. One day, his cousin came to the casualty ward when he was on duty. He was shot by an unidentified gunman. He died while they were mounting him onto an ambulance to be taken to a hospital in Srinagar. A decade ago, he also witnessed the loss of his close friend who was in the police.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe psychological impact on Kashmir\u2019s general population is immense,\u201d says Majid, 50, who now heads the psychiatry department at the Advanced Centre for Mental Health, SKIMS Medical College, Srinagar. He sees around 70 patients daily across his hospital OPDs and private clinic. Has it ever taken a toll? \u201cYes,\u201d he says, \u201cWe set boundaries but it is our duty to help. I believe God has made me do this. I may break down at times but it\u2019s not persistent. I regroup the next day, come back with new ideas, energy and enthusiasm. When I see a patient doing better after a few weeks of intervention, it brings me great joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

They say you must fill your own cup before pouring it into others. Every therapist agrees that sustaining this work requires deliberate care, discipline and self-awareness. Over time, each one has developed rituals, routines and boundaries to manage the emotional demands of their profession.<\/p>\n

For Chheda, this includes working out, reducing screen time, seeing her own therapist once a week and walking her dog every day. Dr Ruksheda ensures she has non-work hours where she takes off her psychiatrist\u2019s hat. She prioritises adequate sleep, exercises four times a week, spends quality time with her family and carves out 15\u201320 minutes each day to simply do nothing. She also takes three to four vacations a year. \u201cYou get different energy from different people,\u201d she says, explaining her preference for a different destination each time. As part of her coping mechanism, she also watches online content and reads fiction. \u201cI don\u2019t want to read non-fiction because my life is already very heavy. I read fantasy because it is not my life, I don\u2019t have to make decisions. Romance tops the genre, followed by thrillers. When it comes to content, it\u2019s similar, just add vampires,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nishar begins her mornings with a walk and has recently started visiting spiritual centres for meditation, while Marker protects his weekends, exercises regularly and turns to art and horse riding. \u201cArt is my therapy, while being around animals is incredibly healing. I have grown up around horses at my family home in Matheran. We know a few locals now who have horses there, and I spend time with them. Silver, who was named based on his silvery grey colour, continues to heal me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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Joglekar limits herself to no more than five clients a day \u2014 six in an emergency \u2014 and is intentional about the kind of cases she takes on. \u201cI avoid working with multiple clients experiencing active suicidal ideation at the same time,\u201d she says. Regular therapy, planned holidays close to nature and acknowledging her own limitations help her stay grounded. \u201cI plan breaks months in advance so I don\u2019t reach a point of desperation.\u201d Majid\u2019s unwinding includes exercising daily and spending time with his wife, his children and his nephews.<\/p>\n

While these mental health professionals aren\u2019t untouched by pain, they have found ways to keep going \u2014 one session, one story, one survivor at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lisha Chheda, a Mumbai-based psychologist and co-founder of Rubaroo Breaking Silences Foundation, a decade-old NGO working with survivors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[9120,5171,71269,76821,76816,76819,19841,76812,105,730,76820,76818,76815,218,76811,59950,76817,55792,76814,76813,15762,1408,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-187367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-burnout","9":"tag-child-sexual-abuse","10":"tag-coping-mechanisms","11":"tag-dr-abdul-majid","12":"tag-dr-syeda-ruksheda","13":"tag-dr-zirak-marker","14":"tag-emotional-well-being","15":"tag-empathy-fatigue","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-india","18":"tag-irawati-joglekar","19":"tag-krupa-nishar","20":"tag-lisha-chheda","21":"tag-mental-health","22":"tag-mental-health-professionals","23":"tag-mental-wellness","24":"tag-pooja-joshi","25":"tag-psychiatrists","26":"tag-psychologists","27":"tag-secondary-trauma","28":"tag-self-care","29":"tag-therapy","30":"tag-uk","31":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114689602328518594","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}