Helping the Helper: Self-Care and Boundaries for Addiction Professionals
Those who assist others in recovery may bear a secret burden of their own. Woody Giessmann's experience reminds us: the healer needs to heal, too.
In A Life of Recovery: Breaking the Chains of Addiction, Woody Giessmann chronicles not only his path from addiction to interventionist but also what it is to stand at the forefront of pain every day. Woody is a licensed counselor, certified interventionist, and founder of one of the largest recovery programs. He has witnessed it all.
But one of the untold truths in his book is this: the helper is human. And burnout, compassion fatigue, and emotional overload are very real possibilities in the field of addiction treatment.
The High Stakes of Helping Others
When one considers becoming a clinician, therapist, interventionist, or peer support specialist within an addiction recovery environment, they are faced with more than an occupation they are faced with a responsibility. Every conversation is life or death. Every relapse is a failure. Every call might be the one that delivers news no one wishes to hear.
Woody has borne those calls. He has stood between life and loss for those families on the edge of despair. And although his work has saved lives, it has also come at a personal toll one he only came to learn to navigate through time, experience, and self-knowledge.
Signs of Burnout in the Recovery Profession
In the book and in his practice, Woody outlines some warning signs that an in-field professional is burning out:
- Emotional numbness or detachment
- Being too responsible about how clients turn out
- Having trouble distinguishing work from personal life
- Losing enjoyment or enthusiasm
- Persistent exhaustion or illness
- Irritability, cynicism, or hopelessness
Most professionals overlook these signs, thinking it’s all in the job. But as Woody puts it clear: “If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll have nothing left to give.”
Building Boundaries Without Losing Compassion
One of the hardest lessons Woody had to learn was how to hold boundaries. In the early years of his practice, he gave everything. Took calls at all hours. Internalized every crisis. Put his own needs second or last.
But over time, he saw that over-functioning wasn’t sustainable. More importantly, it wasn’t helpful. Clients benefit most when their providers are clear, present, and emotionally grounded.
Woody currently mentors younger professionals in setting and holding healthy boundaries, including:
- Establishing clear work boundaries and adhering to them
- Utilizing supervision and peer consultation to work through tough cases
- Taking guilt-free regular breaks and vacations
- Identifying emotional triggers and working on them in therapy
- Differentiating identity from outcome you are not your client’s relapse
- Daily Practices for Sustaining the Helper
Woody does offer some daily practices that assist him in staying grounded and aware of his own recovery:
- Journaling – A personal place to work through emotions and identify patterns
- Art and music – Creative spaces that provide expression with no judgment
- Exercise and movement – Daily walks, yoga, and stretching to help balance the nervous system
- Spiritual practices – Meditation, prayer, or mindfulness for grounding
- Connection – Time with family, recovery peers, and mentors
These habits aren’t niceties they’re necessities. And when practitioners prioritize them as such, they’re better able to journey with others through the deepest valleys.
The Gift of Supervision and Peer Support
Woody asserts that no helper need ever walk alone. Throughout his own life and career, he attributes much of his longevity and success to the mentors, supervisors, and peers who stood by him.
He urges professionals to get supervised not just for compliance, but for care. To create a support circle of trusted peers who can pose the tough questions, provide some perspective, and assist in carrying the load.
Within peer-run programs and clinician support groups, Woody has witnessed first-hand how strong it is for the helper to be helped. Vulnerability does not undermine professionalism it adds depth.
A Reminder to All Who Help
If you are a clinician, peer mentor, crisis responder, or spiritual advisor indeed, any professional in this field this message is for you:
Your work is important. But so is your well-being.
You are permitted to rest. You are permitted to say no.
And you are permitted to ask for assistance.
Woody Giessmann’s book is a lifeline for some, but it’s also a mirror for others who give too much, carry too much, and lose sight of the fact that they matter, too.
As he states in the final chapters: “You can’t pour from an empty cup. And you don’t have to save the world alone.”