Care in Chaos: Therapist Sustainability Through Turbulent Times

Care in Chaos: Building Sustainable Practices in Turbulent Times

Friday, June 13, 2025

In an era of increasingly turbulent social, political, and legal waters, therapists and practice owners face unprecedented challenges to their sustainability and wellbeing. This workshop equips mental health professionals with the tools to navigate these uncertain times by combining stable foundations with flexible systems—creating a metaphorical "houseboat" capable of weathering any storm.

Rather than succumbing to fear or burnout, participants will learn pattern recognition skills that transform perceived chaos into manageable, predictable patterns that can be anticipated and addressed proactively. This workshop deconstructs three critical patterns that undermine therapist wellbeing:

1. the conventional care model that burns out providers
2. the suppression of creativity during crisis
3. the false dichotomy between self-care and communal care

Participants will leave with:

• Pattern recognition skills to reduce nervous system overwhelm
• Practical legal and business strategies for practice sustainability
• Tools to protect and nurture creativity as an antidote to predictable harm cycles
• Frameworks for authentic self-in-communal care that balance vulnerability with boundaries
• Somatic practices for grounding during turbulent times

Sarah Buino and Mishara D. Winston combine their complementary expertise to help therapists navigate increasingly unprecedented times. Perfect for solo practitioners, group practice owners, and clinical staff seeking not just to survive but to maintain wellbeing during social upheaval. This workshop centers therapist sustainability and empowerment, replacing conventional burnout models with creative, communal frameworks that honor both personal needs and professional responsibilities.

Continuing Education Objectives:

• Identify patterns of therapist burnout that arise from conventional care models and distinguish between supportive empathy and pathological empathy in therapeutic relationships.
• Apply pattern recognition skills to transform perceived chaos into manageable, predictable patterns that can be anticipated and addressed proactively in clinical practice.
• Demonstrate at least two somatic practices for grounding during turbulent times in professional contexts.
• Construct a personal framework that balances self-care and communal care approaches to maintain professional sustainability.
• Implement practical legal and business strategies that protect creative approaches to therapy practice during times of social upheaval.

Head/Heart Business Therapy is an IDFPR-approved CE Sponsor (#159.001625) for Social Workers (LSW/LCSW) and Professional Counselors (LPC/LCPC) licensed in Illinois. Head/Heart Business Therapy maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. 1440 W. Taylor Street, Suite 4190, Chicago IL 60607