We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey Smith a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Hailey, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
I avoid/overcome burnout by setting internal and external boundaries. Internal boundaries are those that I set for myself and that I am committed to. For example, an internal boundary for me is that I must complete at least one hour of work before I can engage with social media. Another example of internal boundaries is maintaining a simple self-care routine each day that I know is effective in maintaining a positive mental health. External boundaries are boundaries that I set for others in my life. There are times when I do not have the capacity to show up in the way others need me. When this occurs, I try to communicate my boundaries to maintain healthy relationships in my life. Lastly, I always remember the quote “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. I prioritize my needs and filling my cup so that I can pour into others in a meaningful and intentional way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hi! My name is Dr. Hailey B. Smith and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas. I provide mental health support to Millennial and GenZ adults to assist them with life transitions. I also help clients process childhood trauma, familial trauma, relationship concerns, boundary setting, and self-esteem issues. The most exciting part about my role as a counselor is watching my clients heal, grow, and blossom from their negative experiences. I enjoy witnessing my clients reach their goals and engaging in healthier behaviors as a result of their hard work and dedication to the counseling process.
For those who experienced childhood and family trauma, you are not responsible for what happened to you, but you are responsible for your healing journey. Counseling is an amazing resource to help you heal through experiences in your life that were out of your control, while learning to regain control in a healthy and meaningful way.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Willingness to learn and grow- the counseling profession is one that requires us to be lifelong learners. Our work is human-centered and as humans, we are adaptive and dynamic creatures. We are constantly evolving and adapting, which means the counseling profession is constantly evolving and adapting. If the counseling profession is adapting, then we as practitioners must also adapt, learn, and grow to meet the needs of our clients.
2. Seek your own therapy, supervision, and/or consultation- one thing that I have learned in the counseling profession is that we can only take clients as far we can go and as far as they are willing to go. If we are not engaged in our own work and mental health support, supporting others may be challenging over time. I am a strong proponent of counselors having counselors because it can decrease countertransference, burnout, and helps us engage in introspection.
3. Private practice is just as much of a business as it is a community service- for those who are interested in private practice as a licensed mental health professional, it is important to understand that business side of the profession. Business skills such as marketing, niching, branding, and networking are crucial to having long-term business and financial success in private practice.
My advice for those who are early in their careers is to seek mentorship from multiple people. Sometimes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Mentorship is a great opportunity to connect with someone more experienced who can guide you through your journey. Mentorship from multiple people can provide you with different perspectives and satisfy different needs that you may have as a new professional.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
It’s challenging to narrow down one person who has been influential in my growth and success as a counselor. In general, mentorship and support from three of my mentors has been pivotal in my career success. Each of my mentors supported my professional and personal development in different ways. For example, one of my mentors helped connect me to professional development resources and guided me through various ways to be successful as both a doctoral student and a new professional.
My second mentor was the representation that I needed when I started as a master’s clinical mental health student in 2017. She supported my socioemotional needs as well as provided an open door for me to feel included, valued, and needed as a future clinician.
My third mentor helped me advocate for my needs and taught me to set boundaries to protect my mental health. She also supported my professional development by advocating on my behalf and my giving me the autonomy to determine the best way to navigate my doctoral program and future career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://journeytogracecounseling.com/
- Instagram: dr.hailey.b.smith
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hailey-smith-phd-lpc-ncc-59ba21115/
