Spirituality

Spirituality Aspect of Self-Care

Dr. Morgan was recently interviewed to discuss the importance of self-care and how spirituality can be an important element of it. He was asked guiding questions which provided insight into how Dr. Morgan feels students and professionals can benefit from self-care and spirituality and described his own practices. Below is the interview with Dr. Morgan:

Sarah: Dr. Morgan, why do you think self-care is so important to not only our profession, but all professions as a whole?

Dr. Morgan: First and foremost, you want trained professionals to have long careers, so self-care can help not only help in the short-term, but can maximize their potential in the long-run. It can maximize how many years they can give the profession which ensures that we have experienced professionals.

Secondly, self-care is an important part of making sure that any professional is fully involved in their profession. What I mean by that is for example, in counseling, we want people continually reflective, reading, and not just learning new tools but also ways that people approach clients. self-care ensures that the person brings their full self into the profession. It keeps us fully present rather than in other places, thinking about other things.

Sarah: How would you define spirituality so that others can implement it into their self-care?

Dr. Morgan: Self-care is more than just focusing on spirituality. We need enough rest, exercise and various other requirements. Spirituality is about a set of values, beliefs, relationships and commitments that really do keep us focused on what matters. It gives us a sense of priority and in our profession, it’s critically important to have core values such as doing no harm and what’s in the client’s best interest and to really be committed to them. Those are all things that lots of people do and because it’s the most human thing to do, it’s also the most spiritual thing to do. So, for us as people, spirituality is about being deeply human.

Sarah: How do you impart your wealth of knowledge on this topic to your students and peers?

Dr. Morgan: Well I talk about it a lot. I write about it so that peers not just walking down the hall but peers in the profession can engage in it. I try to live it. I offer a Spirituality course and implement a section in my other classes such as Addiction and Family & Marriage Counseling. In the book that I’m working on now there is a chapter dedicated to spirituality so it’s never very far from the way I think, write, and talk.

Sarah: How do you personally practice self-care?

Dr. Morgan: I hug my wife and my children which is very grounding for me. I try to make sure that I take some time every day to be reflective about what’s happening in my life, how I’m thinking, and how I’m acting. I pray whenever I get a chance such as when driving or sitting at my computer when something strikes me. I try to make sure that I read every day because that calms me. I will say that I don’t get enough rest and that’s a growing edge for me. My family and I go to church and that’s a helpful practice to start the week in the way it should be started. It allows me to follow the rhythm of the seasons. For example, if we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving, be more thankful. When Christmas is coming, I like being conscious of gifts and gratitude for what I also receive from God, so there’s a whole rhythm of being in church to keep me going at home.

Sarah: Any suggestions for individuals entering the counseling profession?

Dr. Morgan: Make sure they do a lot of reading such as poetry and drama novels. It is also important to keep up to date with movies. Being aware of artists and what they’re doing is essential because we deal with words all of the time and those words mean metaphors and metaphors need art to nourish them. Give and receive lots of hugs because people are the biggest calming agents in our lives. Lastly, find a small group of people that you can talk intimately with so that there are a few people who knows who you are, warts and all!

Interviewed by: Sarah Walsh, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student, GA