August Therapy Break Tradition Broken by Many in Los Angeles
Since the popular emergency of psychotherapy, taking a month off in August has been a tradition widely practiced, even if sometimes criticized among therapy clients. While the break may be perfectly natural for the field (after all, a large number of professions are associated with a summer break), popular conception holds that the Austrian and Swiss origins of psychoanalysis have something to do with the season; these regions are culturally focused on taking the month of August to relax and perhaps embark on an enjoyable vacation. A great number of modern psychotherapists and mental health professionals, whether working with psychoanalysis or a different mode of therapy, still participate in the annual break, which leaves some clients feeling abandoned or frustrated; in fact, some even report dropping their therapists or seeking out a professional who specifically does not escape during the summer month in order to ensure year-round access. The difficulty that some clients experience with the event is grounds for examination and considered thought, of course, but this year, reportedly, a number of practices in Los Angeles are finding that taking the traditional August break simply isn’t plausible because of financial concerns.
Being the most populous city in California, and a hot spot for minds and hearts open to the possibilities of psychotherapy, Los Angeles enjoys a wide, varied, and rich therapy environment that has nevertheless been experiencing a measure of difficulty lately as financial concerns lead some clients to drop out, and therapists themselves find their expenses – including classically high Los Angeles office rental rates – on the rise. In tandem with these concerns, the deepening financial crisis has caused many therapy clients to require more attentive care, and rather than being bereft of clients, some psychotherapy practices find themselves overwhelmed with newcomers concerned about staying happy and healthy despite sinking spirits on the stock market.
Many noted Los Angeles and nationally-based mental health professionals have expressed some concern about the lower rates of therapists taking August off to relax and re-group, as the break has been demonstrated to help restore energy and professional enthusiasm. Able to help professionals and workers in every field re-connect with their lives outside the office, breaks are essential components of good work hygiene, suggest the experts, and declining to participate may seem like a good idea in the short term, but may have negative consequences over time.
Of course, not every therapist Los Angeles has to offer is declining the essential spirit of the break; many may make the choice to take a week off during a different month, under less demanding conditions, or may take an extended vacation when the tourist season in their favorite traveling destination has died down. Still, the need for careful attention to preserving personal health and well-being for Los Angeles psychotherapists – and professionals around the world – is clear.
