This client had achieved her career goal to become a physical therapist. She completed her studies and was immediately hired by a local practice. She quickly advanced to a supervisor role and then to a management position. She described herself as a “Type A” personality and a perfectionist. She was feeling increased stress trying to balance her work and personal life. She also felt challenged to equitably divide her workday between attending to her patients and completing her management duties such as supervising staff and completing paperwork.

We discussed how she could advocate for herself and shape her workday to be more satisfying and give her a better feeling of productivity. We also set some goals around healthy habits such as getting more rest and exercise and eating better off hours so that her stress level would reduce. Being in better shape would also enable her to more calmly handle the challenges of her work environment. Setting priorities was difficult for her because she considered everything important and had a hard time completing any project to less than her ideal standard.

She learned to be more assertive with her team members and curb some of the interruptions that were draining time from her day. She also spoke with her boss about lightening her caseload so that she could focus on the management duties she was assigned. She realized that once she could see her value in the workplace she could focus more on the tasks that would be beneficial to the organization and help her to feel that she was utilizing her talents to the fullest without being overburdened.

Tools used: “Wheel of Life,” visioning, goal setting with specific and achievable action items.