Why Rest and Self-Care Matter for Therapists—Especially Disabled and Chronically Ill Therapists
- Lindsay Boudreau
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In a profession built on holding others, we often forget that we, too, have bodies that carry stories: aching knees, foggy mornings, neuropathic pain, or the deep fatigue that settles in the bones after too many "just one more client" days.
For therapists, especially those who are disabled or chronically ill, rest and self-care are not luxuries. They're the foundation of ethical, sustainable, and humane practice.
Learning the Hard Way
When I first became a therapist, I believed that showing up meant never stopping. I worked through nerve pain, infections, and fatigue. I told myself that being there for my clients mattered more than being there for my body.
It took nearly losing both my health and my passion for this work to realize that the system wasn't built for bodies like mine. After surviving sepsis three times, living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and navigating life as a below-knee amputee, I had to rebuild my relationship with rest from the ground up.
Rest stopped being a reward I earned after productivity. It became a boundary, a necessity, and eventually, a form of love.
Now, when I rest, I remind myself: this pause isn't failure. It's what allows me to keep showing up, not just for my clients, but for myself. I sometimes still feel guilty if I need to occasionally cancel if my health is not where it needs to be, but I remind myself that showing up when my body says stop means I'm not helping my clients. I'm not as attuned and present. My clients and I deserve better than those old habits.
The Myth of the "Always-On" Therapist
Therapists are trained to show up calm, attuned, and endlessly available. We internalize messages that our worth is tied to productivity and presence. The systems we work within (ex., graduate school, managed care, productivity quotas) often reward overextension.
But for disabled and chronically ill therapists, the cost of living up to that myth can be devastating. Ignoring our limits doesn't just lead to burnout; it leads to flare-ups, hospitalizations, and sometimes the painful decision to step away from work we love.
The truth is simple but radical:
Our capacity is not a moral failing. It's a reality of our humanity.
Rest as Resistance
Rest is not passive. It's active defiance against systems that measure our value by output. It's saying: I choose sustainability over survival mode.
For disabled and chronically ill therapists, rest becomes an access tool, a way to participate in our work and our lives more fully. It allows us to bring our whole, lived experience into the therapy room, modeling boundaries, compassion, and embodiment for our clients.
Rest says: "I matter, too."
It says: "My body is not the enemy."
It says: "Healing includes me."
Self-Care Beyond the Buzzwords
Self-care isn't just bubble baths or yoga (though those can be lovely).
It's accessible scheduling, flexible hours, adaptive tools, peer consultation, and saying no to the ninth client of the day. It's recognizing that tending to our bodies and energy is tending to our clients' well-being.
For disabled and chronically ill therapists, self-care also looks like:
Building rest rituals into the workday
Choosing telehealth or hybrid models without guilt
Setting boundaries around email and availability
Creating community with peers who "get it"
Honoring flare days as valid, not failures
Self-care becomes a political act when it pushes back against ableism and the idea that we must work through pain to prove our professionalism. In fact, self-care has deep roots in the Black feminist movement and the Black Panthers in the 60s and 70s.
The Ripple Effect of Rested Therapists
When we rest and care for ourselves, the entire field benefits. Our sessions deepen. Our empathy expands. Our creative problem-solving returns. Clients learn from our modeling that healing isn't about endless striving. Rather, healing is about wholeness, balance, and permission.
A rested therapist is a more grounded, attuned, and ethical one. A rested disabled therapist shows that professionalism and disability are not opposites. They can coexist beautifully when systems make room for humanity.
A Call to Reimagine "Care"
If we truly believe in trauma-informed, person-centered care, we must also believe in therapist-centered sustainability. The wellness of the healer shapes the healing that's possible.
So let's stop glorifying exhaustion. Let's stop waiting for weekends or retreats to rest. Let's start designing practices and professional cultures that honor the bodies and capacities of those who hold so much for others.
Rest isn't optional for therapists. It's sacred work. It's survival. And for many of us, it's revolutionary as we step away from white supremacist, late capitalist, hustle culture.
Ready to Build a More Sustainable Way to Practice?
If you've ever wondered what it would feel like to do this work without burning out your body, you're not alone.
That's exactly why I created The Cozy Couch Crew: a community and resource hub for disabled and chronically ill therapists learning to rest, reconnect, and rebuild sustainable practices together.
Join us for support, tools, and community that honor both your work and your body.
Comments