In Seattle & Across WA
Being a Medical Professional impacts your life in unique ways.
Being a Woman amplifies this.
You expect and achieve the highest standards. Your dedication is evident - you pour all your energy into work, leaving nothing in reserve. Sometimes it’s hard to muster the strength for something as simple as a shower after a grueling 24-hour shift. It is a struggle to get to the grocery store, let alone make healthy meals and maintain your typical exercise.
What's more, you might feel as though you’re an imposter.
Is this all there is? Is this sustainable?
It’s complex - balancing relationships with colleagues, family, and perhaps a partner. You want to establish healthy boundaries and ensure you don’t lose sight of yourself. If you’re single, how do you find a companion amid this maelstrom? If you’re in a relationship, how do you reserve the needed time and energy? This is compounded if your partner is in an equally demanding field!
You’re committed to caring for those who are sick or injured. My commitment is to care for you.
Over the years, I’ve guided hundreds of stellar human beings, such as yourself through similar situations. There is hope. There are skills to learn. I know how to get you to where you want to be.
I’m reminded how grounding this process can be and how much perspective it can bring every time a new client contacts me and tells me, “Bonnie said I need to talk with you…”
As my 30 years of practice have transpired, I’ve found a special niche and connection with women in medical professions. Highly accomplished female professionals have unique stresses and concerns. Female medical providers deal with a tremendous amount of professional and personal stress.
You are loving, caring, highly educated and motivated human beings with others’ lives in your hands. Too often, you can lose sight of caring for yourself. Together we will explore your specific situation and strengthen boundaries where they are needed, while improving communication and growing confidence to simplify decisions at home and at work.
Some things you may be dealing with...
Finance, Logistics and Gender
Emotions
You might feel you're running on empty, constantly exhausted and unable to find pleasure in activities you once enjoyed. The incessant weight of high-stake decisions are heavy on your shoulders. Your high standards won’t allow mistakes.
Others may see hints of this, but what they can’t see is what may be inside - self criticism, self doubt, the numbness caused by moral injury and repeated, too-close exposure to trauma.
Compassion fatigue is just one factor in “the cost of caring”, and it’s a high price to pay. On top of this is a hefty dose of “Epic” administrative overhead - with no end in sight.
Was this what I signed up for?
Identity
You may be questioning your own professional identity and disappointment in the medical field. Imposter syndrome questions your own capacity to do what you’ve trained so hard to be. You may feel isolated or uncomfortable asking for help, and desperately want meaningful mentorship that can see all of these parts of you.
Am I really who they think I am?
Maybe you have a personal life. Maybe. But if you haven’t looked up in 12 days, would you even notice?
Balancing work with non-work seems daunting. Work has always won out. It was easier when everyone was in school and in this together with structure and rhythm and predictability. Those days are gone.
You may experience difficulty building friendships at work and in those few minutes when you’re not on the job. Lack of time for extended family may be a source of guilt.
Colleagues can be difficult - a daily undercurrent dynamic that never seems to go away. Thank God Jocelyn wasn’t here today!
There’s also the tremendous debt built up. Sometimes the job feels like golden handcuffs. How will you manage to buy a house? Have a family? Or go on one of these vacations you’ve heard others talking about.
As your career in this field progresses, you may experience or witness sexual harassment, gender bias and discrimination. Did Bob just walk away and leave you to console the family? Really?!?
Leadership may be blind to all of this given the likelihood that they’re not female either. This isn’t man-bashing. It’s simply yet another area that you’re expected to do more.
All of this makes self-advocacy difficult to imagine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: My schedule is crazy busy! How do I squeeze in therapy sessions? A: I love to work with medical professionals and appreciate your scheduling challenges. For some, a set time each week works best. For others, just grabbing an available slot on my calendar works. Either is fine! Whatever works best for you at this time. I’m here to help.
Q: Are you available in-person? A: Yes! I am in-office on Wednesdays. My office is conveniently located in the U-District just a few blocks from I-5 at 4500 9th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105. In-person sessions can be booked through this site.
Q: Is virtual (online) therapy as effective as in-person? A: I get constant feedback about how handy virtual therapy is, and how comfortable it is to be in your comfortable space. I’ve worked with professionals who are in their home, in a secluded spot at work - whatever works for you. I’m also told that saving the commute to a fixed location is huge. The bottom line - the virtual aspect of online therapy often positively affects the client’s experience..
Q: Is this HIPAA compliant? How safe is my information and identity? A: I use SimplePractice to manage my client information and our virtual sessions. SimplePractice is 100% HIPAA compliant. Each session uses a unique link specific both to you as a client and that individual session. Client information is encrypted stored on their servers. No passwords are used - each time a client accesses the system, a one-time link is sent specifically for that access - so there’s no passwords to hack. These links are valid for only a short period of time, typically 5 minutes.
Q: Is this just for doctors? A: No. It’s your lens - how you view care for people and how this field impacts your life - that is the crux of this definition. Thus, the term Medical Professional spans a broad range of roles including Administrators, “Medically Adjacent” professionals such as Program Directors, Trainers, and so forth. Of course this also includes doctors and nurses, technicians, dental specialists, researchers, therapists and other specialists are included as well.