financial inequities in agency work

The mental health field faces significant financial inequities, especially in agency work. This includes low salaries, high student debt, and costly licensure and training fees. In addition to burnout, high turnover, and reduced care qualities these structural issues regarding financial inequities can create distress and anxiety for the clinicians.

Grounding tools

Grounding techniques help to reset the nervous systems, the following tools can bed used in-between client sessions. Listed below are 7 grounding techniques for clinicians to use.

  1. Five senses

    • Close eyes and take a few slow, deep breathes through your nose and out through your mouth

    • Next, open eyes and ask yourself the following questions:

      • What can I see?

      • What can I feel?

      • What can I hear?

      • What can I smell?

      • What can I taste?

    2. Holding an object

    • Hold an object in your hand and bring your full attention to how it looks and feels

      • Helps to be present and grounded in the moment

    3. Ask yourself questions

    • Ask grounding questions to help with feels of derealization, dissociation, and detachment. These questions might include:

      • Where am I right now?

      • What day and month is it?

      • What season is it?

      • How old am I?

      • Where do I live, and with whom?

    4. Positive coping statement

    • Prepare a coping statement for when you begin to feel anxious or overwhelmed. Example:

      • Everything that is happening right now is temporary and will past, this feeling won’t be here forever.

5. Three-minute breathing space meditation

  • Sit upright, close eyes, and bring attention to inner experience

  • Become away of your current experience:

    • What thoughts are going through your mind?

    • What feelings are present?

    • What physical sensations are you experiencing?

  • Then gather and focus yourself

    • Imagine a spotlight on the physical sensation of each breath

    • Move in close to the sensation of the breath in your abdomen

    • Maintain focus

  • Expand attention

    • Expand your awareness of your breath to your entire body

    • Become are of your entire body as you breath, become aware of discomfort and/or tension

    • Acknowledge and accept sensations, rather than trying to change them

6. Physical orientation

  • Press feet firmly into the floor, push hands against arms of chair, name the city, date, time, and where you are

    • Helps with dissociation or derealization

7. 5-4-3-2-1

  • List:

    • 5 things you can see

    • 4 things you can feel

    • 3 things you can hear

    • 2 things you can smell

    • 1 thing you can taste

8. Somatic breathing

  • Take slow, deep breaths

    • Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds

      • This is known as box breathing