3 Tips on how to stay emotionally grounded with your challenging client

Hey Clinicians, we don’t always get easy clients to work with. I know that it’s that one client that can get “under your skin!” It can be so hard to stay calm and collected, when it’s your automatic response that gets defensive. 

But we can be calm and collected, while having “all the thoughts and feelings” come up. Keep reminding yourself that you’re only human. 

So you might be holding onto resentment and frustration, when heading into your session. You’re bracing yourself with whatever your client throws your way. But you can ground yourself into your body, before your session starts. 

Here are 3 tips on how you stay emotionally grounded with your challenging client: 

1. Emotionally step back/disengage, so you can mindfully assess the situation. 

2. Pause, take a long breath and observe what’s happening inside your body.

3. Say a coping affirmation, like “I’m calm,” as you visualize what calm looks like.

This feels counterintuitive to emotionally disengage from your client. But it will not only benefit you, it will also benefit your client. Over time, it will become second nature.

So the next time you’re getting emotionally triggered by your challenging client, make sure to ground yourself back into your body! It’s worth the energy and time to do this, when you’re feeling emotionally triggered by your client. This will prevent negatively impact your therapeutic relationship.