Ali Sheahan, LMHC, Mental Health Therapist, Hawkeye Community College

1. Please describe your role on campus.

My name is Ali Sheahan, and I am a mental health therapist at Hawkeye Community College. I have the privilege of working here for a little over a year and a half.

2. How do you lead and interface with mental health and well-being on your campus?

I am part of our Care Team, which meets weekly to discuss individuals for whom we have concerns. The Care Team is composed of people from different domains within the college coming together to provide resources to students and staff in need of assistance. It is encouraging to see how much the college values the individuals on its campus and their overall wellness. This opportunity provides ways of networking across the campus with individuals I may not normally get to interact with to gain insight into different community resources. How cool, right?! 

3. Tell us about one high point in your work and about one low point in your work.

Being a therapist brings many complex feelings to the forefront. I feel privileged and honored to be a trusted person for a wide variety of unique individuals. In the same breath, it has also broken my heart. It is incredible to walk alongside resilient humans, who are doing the best they can, while also feeling that my empathy can feel debilitating to me at times. Life isn’t fair, and we get a front row seat to that fact every day while sitting across from people we care about. All this to say that the high point is and always will be the relationships with the incredible people I get to sit across from. 

The low point is watching individuals I care for experience pain and suffering. 

4. Is there something which you would like to normalize for others, where they may think they cannot share it or think it is only their struggle (e.g., we are often called upon to be experts on things we often know little about such as budgeting, managing personnel tensions, speaking to the press, being experts on EVERYTHING in our content areas, and so on)?

I love that every hour is different in the job, because every hour we enter a new person’s worldview. It is also overwhelming and can feel like whiplash going back-to-back from one person’s journey to another. It is hard to figure out how to best show up not only for my clients, but also for myself. We know self-care is important. We talk about it with each other, our clients, in school, etc. Even with all the discussion, I still struggle to prioritize it in my life. I don’t know about you, but often I get home from work and want to be horizontal on my couch, watching something mindless, eating something easy, and disengaging. This isn’t to say those are bad things, but I have also found consistently doing them for me isn’t helpful or healthy. Self-care is hard sometimes. Taking care of ourselves after spending the day doing our best to show up for others is hard, but necessary. If you are struggling with self-care, please know you aren’t alone. 

I hope you find things that work for you and bring you peace, joy, relief, and balance. You deserve it, and I am rooting for you!! 

3 Self-Care Strategies Ali Swears By

1. Walking. Every day after work, I love to take my cutie dog on a walk, weather permitting, of course. The fresh air, and the rhythm of my steps, watching my adorable dog experience the world, all help ground me. Sometimes during my walks I think over the day, and each of the people I at across from. Other times, I listen to podcasts or music that fits my mood. Either way, it is time in my day I treasure, and I notice a difference in my mood when I don’t do it.
2. Gratitude. Reflecting on beautiful, ordinary, magical moments, like how good the morning iced coffee tastes, laughing with coworkers, appreciating the warmth of the sun on my face, or the funny noises my dog makes when he wakes up. Taking the time to acknowledge what I am grateful for sheds light in the darkness that can creep in with this job.
3. Work/Life Boundaries. I do my best to get all notes done before I leave for the day, not checking emails outside of the office, and doing my best not to ruminate on sessions. This is easier said than done, obviously, but being intentional is helpful.