The journey within : stories of how mental health professionals give meaning to their own sense of well-being

Abstract

This is a study of the wellness journey of four mental health professionals and its perceived impact on their physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. In-depth interviews were carried out with one male and three female mental health professionals coming from different developmental stages in life (ages ranged from 29-68 years old), different nationalities, and with a varied range of experience in different settings. An interview protocol containing ten probes was used as an aid for the participants self-disclosure. After this, participants were also asked to describe a metaphor which came to mind when they thought about the concept of wellness. This helped capture more intensely the representations of the wellness experience. The data were analysed using the narrative method. In all four narratives it was seen how participants, albeit having faced the pains, joys, struggles and challenges of life and work, not only survived but they flourished. The chief conclusion that can be drawn from the results of this research is that wellness in the participants is a foundational way of being that is built from the combination of particular behavioral, interpersonal, existential, and personality factors. All these factors help these individuals structure their lives to attain a continual sense of balance, fulfillment, well-being, and personal meaning. Moreover this study sheds light on the significance of spirituality in the participants’ lives, and how this transcendental orientation sustains their lifelong commitment towards wellness. This study may have two very important inferences: the first is the influence of wellness across all the domains of the professionals life, and how the therapists self-nurture practices not only promote individual wellness, but may also be a key component for improved therapeutic process, and also essential for the sustainment of the mental health profession itself.