Before diving into the business of online leading and coaching I was psychotherapist of teens in crisis.  It was powerful, deep and life changing work (for me) that was hard and required parts of my soul I didn't know existed. I wouldn't trade my time in that work for the world.

 

It was fast paced and required me to understand the whole picture, from my client (the teen's) perspective.  Crisis can happen day or night, even on a crisis stabilization unit.  I found myself worried about what the next day would bring... would we be sending a teen to a higher level of care?  What skill would be required of me when it came to family meetings, or community meetings or team meetings?

 

To counter my anxiety, I would check my email relentlessly.  At home.  After a full 8 1/2 hours of being on the unit.  I was distracted by it.  I would sit in the boys room while they fell asleep (another story for another day about my boys propensity to party like it was 1999) and I would wait for the crisis to come in... and constantly be worried about the other shoe dropping.

 

During one particularly messy encounter with a teen's case and his community providers, I found myself requiring something to change- or I was going to have to leave my job.  My body was done processing the anxiety and worry.  

 

Without the proper boundaries between myself and my work- I found myself anxious and never really letting go of what was happening on the unit.  I set the boundary that I would not check my email from home anymore.  If there was a crisis that required my presence or input, I was always available by phone. (And, that rarely happened, by the way!)

 

Boundaries and Leadership Policies are sometimes hard to conceptualize or to put into action... but when you do... everything else operates in flow.  All of a sudden, you are able to lead from a place of grounded power.  Let's find out what your boundaries and personal policies and lead with your ultimate soul power.