WP 35 | How to Know if You have a Soul Care Problem with Dawn Gabriel
Welcome to another episode of the Wise Practice Podcast! In today's conversation, Dawn Gabriel and Whitney Owens discuss the significance of soul care for therapists. They delve into their personal experiences and offer insights into how therapists can prioritize their own well-being while caring for others. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and join us as we explore this important topic.
Introducing Dawn Gabriel
Dawn Gabriel is a group practice owner, consultant, and host of the Soul Care for Therapists podcast. She is passionate about helping mental health therapists take a deeper look into their spirituality and faith by creating sustainable practices and lifestyles. Dawn believes that therapists need their own sacred place to slow down and let go of all that they hold in order to continue the transformative work with others which is why she offers retreats and community groups to do just that.
The Journey to Soul Care
Dawn Gabriel, a therapist, and owner of a group practice in Casa Rock, Colorado, shares her passion for community mental health and integrating faith into the counseling process. She emphasizes the importance of soul care for therapists and the transformative work it can bring. Dawn mentions her own struggles with burnout and the need to look holistically at oneself, not just as a therapist but as a human being. She says, "I was burning out... I was forgetting to invite the spiritual part in, even as a faith-based therapist."
Dawn candidly shares that she was driven to create Sole Care for Therapists because she realized the desperate need for it in her own life. Soul care, she explains, extends beyond surface-level self-care practices and invites therapists to embark on a holistic exploration of themselves as both professionals and individuals. "Soul care goes beyond self-care and involves holistic exploration of oneself as a therapist, as a human, and in the spiritual realm."
Whitney adds therapists often yearn for deep inner work but often shy away from it due to a desire for control and fear of emotional vulnerability. However, both Dawn and Whitney stress the transformative power of embracing soul care and the profound impact it can have on a therapist's well-being and therapeutic practice.
Recognizing the Need for Soul Care
Who takes care of the therapist? Whitney Owens discusses the common challenges therapists face when neglecting their own well-being. She highlights the tendency to push emotions aside and strive for perfection in their work. Whitney admits her own struggles with emotional vulnerability and emphasizes the importance of therapists doing their own inner work. She says, "If the therapist hasn't done the work, they can only take the clients so far in the sessions."
Signs that Soul Care is Needed
Dawn and Whitney discuss the warning signs that indicate a therapist's need for soul care. These signs can range from minor yellow flags to more severe red flags. Dawn mentions examples such as obsessing over minor details, feeling a constant need to prove oneself, or avoiding work-related responsibilities. Whitney adds that canceling appointments frequently, avoiding tough conversations, or losing control in personal relationships can also be signs of soul-care neglect. They both stress the importance of recognizing these signs early on to prevent burnout.
"Yellow flags are early warning signs that indicate a need for soul care." Dawn encourages therapists to pay attention to the subtle yellow flags that may signify the need for soul care. These yellow flags can manifest as obsessing over minor details, engaging in fear-based behaviors such as overspending on marketing materials, avoiding difficult conversations, or frequently canceling appointments. These signs serve as gentle reminders that something deeper within ourselves requires attention and care.
However, there are also more pronounced red flags that demand immediate attention. Whitney emphasizes that therapists must recognize these red flags, which can include avoiding going to work, experiencing heightened levels of irritability and frustration, and losing emotional regulation in personal relationships. These signs indicate a critical need for soul care and should not be ignored. "Soul care goes beyond self-care and involves holistic exploration of oneself as a therapist, as a human, and in the spiritual realm."
The Journey of Engaging in Soul Care
"Soul care requires surrendering control and recognizing a higher power or spiritual entity that guides and nourishes the soul."
Dawn shares her personal journey of engaging in soul care and experiencing God's presence on a deeper level. She discusses the role of spiritual direction and guided meditation in her own practice. Dawn encourages therapists to find their own ways of engaging in soul care, whether through faith-based practices or other spiritual avenues. She emphasizes that soul care is about surrendering control and connecting with a higher power.
Dawn shares moments where she experiences god without judgment. It is not always the big conferences or spiritual gatherings that bring her into God’s presence. It could be hiking, spending time with friends in the community, or having a deep conversation with friends that helps her care for her soul. She says she tries to notice these moments and works to create more of them in her life. “…that’s where your soul comes alive.”
Dawn shares her personal journey of engaging with soul care on a deeper level, particularly through her spiritual beliefs. She highlights the importance of surrendering control and acknowledging the presence of a higher power or spiritual entity that can guide and nourish the soul. For Dawn, this involved finding spiritual direction, where she experienced God's presence and engaged in guided mindfulness and imaginative prayer. However, it's important to note that the specific approach to soul care may vary for each individual, depending on their beliefs and practices.
Whitney echoes Dawn's sentiments, emphasizing the need for therapists to do their own inner work in order to effectively support their clients.
Action Steps for Therapists
Engaging in soul care requires vulnerability and a willingness to face one's own emotions and experiences. It's a journey of self-discovery, healing, and growth that ultimately enriches both the therapist's personal life and their therapeutic practice. Dawn encourages therapists to seek support through spiritual direction, mindfulness practices, or engaging in activities that bring them joy and relaxation. They emphasize the importance of setting boundaries, practicing self-compassion, and being intentional about self-care routines. Whitney says, "Take time to reflect on your own journey, what brings you life, what helps you connect with the divine, and prioritize that in your daily life." To engage in soul care and reduce burnout a therapist can:
Pay attention to yellow flags - Recognize the early warning signs, such as obsessive behavior or fear-based actions, that indicate a need for soul care.
Acknowledge red flags - Take note of more severe indicators, such as avoiding work or experiencing emotional instability in personal relationships, as urgent calls for prioritizing soul care.
Go beyond self-care - Engage in practices that delve deeper into the realms of self-discovery, spirituality, and emotional vulnerability.
Seek guidance and support - Consider finding spiritual direction, seeking therapy, or joining a supportive community that fosters soul care.
Embrace the journey - View soul care as an ongoing process rather than a one-time fix, allowing for continued growth, healing, and personal development.
Serve from a Full Cup
In this episode, Dawn Gabriel and Whitney Owens shed light on the crucial aspect of soul care for therapists. They remind us that as therapists, it is essential to prioritize our own well-being and engage in practices that nourish our souls. By recognizing the signs of soul care neglect and taking actionable steps, therapists can prevent burnout and create a healthier and more fulfilling professional journey.
Remember, therapists, you cannot pour from an empty cup. Take time to care for yourself, seek support, and connect with your spirituality. Your own well-being is crucial in providing the best care for yourself, your clients, and your business.
Links and Resources
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WP 35 | How to Know if You have a Soul Care Problem with Dawn Gabriel
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Whitney Owens: Hello friends, and welcome back to The Wise Practice. Hi cast. I'm so glad to have my friend of many years, Don Gabriel here on the show. Don, today's a special day for me. Oh, yeah. Why? I just thought about this when we got on here. Okay. Today's my, uh, my one year. I won't go into all those details, but my one year and you were a big part of my healing journey in that, so.
Whitney Owens: Mm.
Dawn Gabriel: Yes. I thought of that. I was, I glad to be with you today. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I thought of you this weekend cuz all the pictures came up and I was like, Whitney, it's a year.
Whitney Owens: I know. I know. So it's, uh, it's a special thing, the work we do and having one another in that place, um, community is so important. So I'm glad to be here with you today and being able to record together, it means a lot to me.
Whitney Owens: Um, so. Let me tell people about you though as
Dawn Gabriel: we kind of get into that.
Whitney Owens: Um, Dawn is a group practice owner and a group private practice consultant and the host of Soul Care for Therapist podcast. She's passionate about helping mental health therapists take a deeper look into this spirituality and faith by creating sustainable practices and lifestyles.
Whitney Owens: Dawn believes that the therapists need their own sacred place to slow down and let go of all that they hold in order to continue the transformative work with others. Which is why she offers retreats and community groups to
Dawn Gabriel: do just that. Thank you, Dawn, for hanging out with me today. Thanks, Whitney. I am very excited to be here.
Dawn Gabriel: Yes, I,
Whitney Owens: I really am feeling drawn to that part of your bio where you just said it's the work that we do on our own that leads to the transformative work that we do with therapists, and that is like the core of the work that you do with, with therapists and it's so important, and I think a lot of therapists.
Whitney Owens: Don't know what they don't know. Like they don't know how important that is until, until they need it, right?
Dawn Gabriel: Yes, for sure. Until they're like falling apart and like, what's wrong with me? This is not what I signed up for. Exactly. Exactly. So
Whitney Owens: we are gonna dive deep into that topic, uh, today. But if there are people that don't know you personally, I would love for you to kind of share a little bit about you, your background, your group practice, where are you
Dawn Gabriel: located, that kinda stuff.
Dawn Gabriel: Sure. So I am in Casa Rock, Colorado, which I love living in this state. I moved around a lot, but feel like I've been here for 18, 20 18 to 20 years and don't wanna leave. Mm-hmm. Um, I own a group practice. We have nine therapists, one intern, and maybe two to four admin staff. We need a whole lot of help to get everything going, but um, yeah, and so we focus on, um, community mental health.
Dawn Gabriel: However, my group practice, all the team are Christian therapists, but we don't broadcast that. We keep it as a team culture and then it's our specialty. And we love it when we integrate faith into the counseling process. But it's not something we overtly advertise. Yeah. Yeah. And you're
Whitney Owens: married, you have two wonderful
Dawn Gabriel: boys.
Dawn Gabriel: Yes, I have two boys, ages 11 and seven. And I've been married for, it'll be 14 years next, uh, June. So probably when this is, Broadcasting. Um, yeah, and I also, two years ago started, um, a consulting and retreat business and podcast called Faith Fringes. But I just rebranded to Sole Care for Therapists, and I'm sure we'll get into why in a little bit.
Dawn Gabriel: But that really specializes on mental health therapists, just helping them. Yeah, just creating sacred space for them to be in that transformative work for themselves so they can offer more. Yeah,
Whitney Owens: so, so Dawn and I met, uh, many a years ago at a psychiatric hospital where we worked there
Dawn Gabriel: not as inpatient, not
Whitney Owens: as inpatient.
Whitney Owens: Um, and, you know, we could take, we could tell so many stories, Dawn, but the one that's coming to me in this moment as we record, is, I remember when you told me about the retreat center you wanted to create one day. Yeah, no, you're, I told you that. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that you and Chris wanted to do, your husband, and gosh, I just, I just think that you're really e even though maybe the retreat center hasn't actually been made yet, you are creating that community of a retreat of what it is that you wanted.
Whitney Owens: And it's just so amazing to be able to look at the dreams we had years ago and how God brings those to fruition. So I lo I love the work that you're doing with therapists.
Dawn Gabriel: Thank you. Do you know Chris retires in 18 months and No. Yeah, he retires from law enforcement. He's been serving for 26 years and he can retire.
Dawn Gabriel: He may or may not have an app counting down the days, but, um, but we've been, we've opened that up and have been really praying, okay, God, what's next? And we just feel the retreat center coming up. But I'm terrified because it's bigger than just what I've started. But that's where we're
Whitney Owens: at. Mm. Beautiful.
Whitney Owens: Well, you know, they say if you build it, they will come.
Dawn Gabriel: I say that too. Yeah. Yeah,
Whitney Owens: girl. Awesome. Okay, well let's talk about this topic of sole care for therapists. And I think the big thing here is we don't realize, therapists don't realize how important that work is, right? We, we look at the business ad we, we feel like we gotta learn all about that, and then we just don't pay attention to what's going on in our souls.
Whitney Owens: And so, I don't even know how to start with this, but like, how do you figure this out? How do you help people see this?
Dawn Gabriel: You know what, Whitney, I, when you were saying that, I felt like this tug in my heart. I just have to be completely honest. Like it's because I suck at it. I'm just be like, My personality, it's like I have to teach so I can learn better.
Dawn Gabriel: And when I started Soul Care for Therapists two years ago is when I coined the term, but I was launching Faith Fringes, but my heart was Soul Care for therapists because I was so desperately needing it. And, and so I don't have all the perfect answers, but I love the journey and it's so different from two years ago for me, from what it is right now.
Dawn Gabriel: And so, I guess I would say Soul Care to me is way deeper than self-care. It's looking holistically at yourself, not only as a therapist, but as. Um, a human and then the spiritual realm. And when I say human, there's so many different hats there with, uh, being maybe a parent or a partner or friend or community member, but also the spiritual part in looking at everything spiritually.
Dawn Gabriel: And I think clinically we are trained so much that we forget. I. To invite the spiritual part in, even if we're faith-based, right? Even if we're Christians. And I know I went years forgetting that piece and I just like went straightforward in clinical and coping skills and theories and it wasn't enough for me.
Dawn Gabriel: I was burning out. Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: Well, I even almost hear you speaking to this maybe even first component of, of it is understanding. We don't have
Dawn Gabriel: all the answers.
Whitney Owens: Yes. Right. Like that's when our souls can start to speak to us. I think we push 'em down with all of our answers. As therapists, we feel like the need for perfection.
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah. Absolutely. Or the need to provide. I, I know I was talking with a couple of group practice owners this week and just that feeling of responsibility like I have to provide for my team, I have to provide for my clients and almost like a mother role to everyone. That's too much responsibility and it's too much knowing and too much holding that we forget, well, who does that for us?
Dawn Gabriel: Mm-hmm.
Whitney Owens: I dunno who does do that for us?
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and, and do we go to God or like we wanna say our spouses or our friends, but sometimes there's deeper places that even they can't hold that for us. And how can we get drawn in to God's presence and sit there and that's enough when we're so used to pouring out and being that presence for everyone else.
Dawn Gabriel: It's so different.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. So how can therapists know, or how does a therapist know when they need to do some soul care work?
Dawn Gabriel: I feel like it's, there's probably some bigger overarching ones, but there's also really personal ones. Like, and I, I think this is hilarious cuz you can joke about it, but some of your, I I usually take people through a, a system where you look at, um, Like your yellow flags versus red flags.
Dawn Gabriel: But some yellow flags are the things you wanna get really good at looking at first, because you don't wanna be in the red flag zone, cuz by then you're burned out. So my, I'll just share some of my yellow flags, for example. When I walk into my group practice and I'm looking around and I'm obsessing on how the pillows look and how the office isn't looking good, and I start getting really irritated with my team for not making everything look perfect, which sounds so shallow, but it's a signal for me.
Dawn Gabriel: Yes. It's not really about that. That's a great example. Yeah. Yeah. And so that's a yellow flag. Or, um, when I start feeling like I need to buy all these marketing materials and I have this fear base, like, I need tons and I need squish balls, and like I start yeah, throwing money at stuff, almost like in order to feel like I'm marketing better, you know what I mean?
Dawn Gabriel: Just like random little things, like those are yellow flags to slow down and what's really going on. Mm-hmm. Uh, big, bigger ones would be, the more red flags would be, um, you're avoiding going to work. You are, um, avoiding tough conversations with your team, like a team member that needs to be maybe on a performance plan or let go.
Dawn Gabriel: You are, um, Canceling appointments left and right because you need to take a day off. I'm fine with taking a mental health day off, but you're doing it often, like you just don't wanna go into work. Mm-hmm. Or you're fine at work, but you're losing it with your kids. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Those are just a
Whitney Owens: few. Yeah, those are great examples.
Whitney Owens: Yeah. All all examples that I can relate to at different times in my life. Yeah, like
Dawn Gabriel: check, check,
Whitney Owens: check, check. Yeah. Okay. And it, you know, it's also fascinating cause therapists, all of you said it was your own work that made you go into this. It's like we all desire that deep work,
Dawn Gabriel: but we run away from it, don't we?
Dawn Gabriel: Oh yeah. Cause it's hard. Well, it's messy. It's hard. It's confusing. And it's way better for us to sit in that with other people than take care of our own self. Mm-hmm. Don't you think, do you think
Whitney Owens: that Oh yeah. I like to be in control.
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah. That would be a better word. If you get deep down, it's feel that out of control feeling.
Dawn Gabriel: I'm used to being prepared and having a plan, and so when I have to sit with my own messiness. And I might not have an answer when I teach answers, when I teach coping skills and I don't feel emotionally regulated. What's that say? Yep.
Whitney Owens: Yep. And this is my career. People are paying to sit with me,
Dawn Gabriel: right? And I just raised my rates.
Dawn Gabriel: They're paying a lot of money.
Whitney Owens: Uh, but I think that even speaks even more so to the importance of what we were talking about at the very beginning. That was in your bio. The more important work of if the therapist hasn't done the work, they can only take the clients so far in the sessions. Right?
Dawn Gabriel: So true.
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah.
Whitney Owens: Yeah, yeah. So as you know, we were talking about this retreat. I just led my first retreat like a big girl, um, and. One thing that I really came away with was realizing that I have built, built a lot of walls in my life, like. Emotional walls, not wanting to get emotional. Now, I could have told you that I'm good at talking about emotion and I can talk emotion, but do I actually experience the emotion?
Whitney Owens: No, no. I'm gonna run, I'm gonna run away from that. And so how can I, I have this one client in particular that I'm like trying to, trying to, um, get myself to be emotional in front of this person this week because I've been working with them for years and I've never cried in front of this client. Okay.
Whitney Owens: Right. This client also has never cried in front of me, okay? And that's a big part of the therapy. So I'm trying to get him to engage with his emotions cuz he has anxiety and his skull cuz he's not acknowledging these emotions. But how can I
Dawn Gabriel: expect
Whitney Owens: that client to cry when I'm not willing to do it?
Dawn Gabriel: Right.
Dawn Gabriel: And there was one moment
Whitney Owens: in one session where he started to get there and I shut it down. I'm so embarrassed. I shut it down and then, and then about five minutes later, I was like, oh, danging it. I
Dawn Gabriel: missed this opportunity for an amazing
Whitney Owens: work because of my
Dawn Gabriel: own issues. I've been there, girl. Yeah. Yeah, I, it's like, wow, when you realize the veil's lifted and you're like, this client is here because I have to work on this, you know, like, we're gonna work on this together.
Whitney Owens: Hmm. I love that. All right, so I know it's probably hard to really put into words cause it's such a deep thing, but like, how do, how do we engage in our soul care as therapists?
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah, well, and it's gonna mean different things to other people, so I'm just gonna share part of my journey and hope that that helps break it down, but know that they can figure it out.
Dawn Gabriel: Some of it, for me, I had to experience God on a felt somatic level and not a head level. And so what that means is I went to grad school at a Christian. Seminary and got my degree like, so my undergrad is in biblical studies and my graduate is in master's in counseling from a seminary. So all that to say is I have a lot of head knowledge on how to integrate faith and theology, uh, I mean in, uh, psychology.
Dawn Gabriel: However, that doesn't translate to how I experience God and how I know God. Yes. And so over the last few years I've been really engaging, um, with something called spiritual direction. And I've had a couple different spiritual directors and they have ushered me into the presence of God and sat with me there.
Dawn Gabriel: And that experience has changed me more than a lot in life. Mm-hmm. And so for me that was soul care because it's, Outside of me. Something with Soul care is you aren't in control. Yes, there's a spiritual entity in control and for some people, like they might not have the Christian belief, that's fine.
Dawn Gabriel: They're still, they still might have a God belief or a different religion or faith. They can still enter into that. For, for us, we're gonna talk about God, Jesus the Holy Spirit, but I feel like everyone can enter into that deeper spiritual realm with spirituality. For me, it showed up like literally with Jesus and me sitting in different scenarios and this guided mindfulness, this guided meditation, this imaginative prayer.
Dawn Gabriel: Mm-hmm. Um, so, but those are just, I threw a lot out there, but those are just a few things of how I dove in. But you
Whitney Owens: hit on so many important points. So, so the first was what we were talking about, just a willingness to let go of control. Let something bigger and beyond yourself be in control. Mm-hmm. Um, I
Dawn Gabriel: love how you talked about
Whitney Owens: your spiritual directors, like you were in the presence of
Dawn Gabriel: community.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Right? And it's in community that we experience soul care. Right? Yeah. Um, that was, I love that you said that. Um, and then you had someone speaking into your life.
Dawn Gabriel: Like you were willing
Whitney Owens: to go to those dark places and let somebody speak to you and receive it. That's, you know, so many points you brought up there to Soul Care.
Dawn Gabriel: Yeah. I remember one time my spiritual director, I actually met her when I was in, on a trip to Malaysia. Mm-hmm. She, I went with my best friend who was speaking at a conference, and this woman, Jocelyn, was speaking. And I was like, what is she doing? Like she just read this poem and sat in silence and read it twice and I was so uncomfortable with the silence.
Dawn Gabriel: And then it just invited me in and I started imagining things as she was speaking and it was beautiful. So I went up to her and I was like, well, actually, I waited till I got home and later went up to, um, emailed her and asked her to be my spiritual director. But just sitting with her, Yeah, there's a lot of silence, a lot of slowing down that she laughed.
Dawn Gabriel: Like I wasn't ready for, like, I just, that's not my personality. And so, I mean, it took a while, but finally now I crave that slowing down and silence. Um, I think I started to say something else that I don't remember, but that's just what came to me. When you were talking about entering in with someone else.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Uh, all, all really important points and kind of, I guess, developing that rhythm, would you say, of silence and that rhythm
Dawn Gabriel: of slowing down. Yeah, and, and I think that I. I think what happens is, again, I would love to go on retreats. I'm sure you would too. Um, once a month it'd be fun to be on a retreat to do that, but that's just not doable with a lot of people's schedule.
Dawn Gabriel: At least my families cannot do that. I can't swing a retreat once a month. I would love it, but I also have to find simple ways to get a loan with God, slow down, enter into soul care, and sometimes for me that's walking. And not without a podcast playing in my ears. Yes. Or, or just reading and just sitting with it and not writing it down in a journal.
Dawn Gabriel: Do you know what I mean? Like just little tweaks of little rhythms in my life and not these big retreats, which I would love. But um, I can't always climb a mountain or go on a long two hour hike. I have to figure out simpler
Whitney Owens: ways. Those were such great concrete examples. And you said this earlier, how everyone kinda has to find out what their rhythm is.
Whitney Owens: Yes. And that everyone's gonna be different. It's not a comparison, it's not a doing what other people are doing. Um, and I would say, For each of us. It's like a season, right? Like there might be a season that this is how you care for your soul in a season. That a different way. Would you say that?
Dawn Gabriel: Oh yeah. I, I, when you said that, I remind, do you remember when we had little babies, like you could barely go to sleep?
Dawn Gabriel: Like, that's a different season. And I remember talking with young moms, like, I don't, I don't even have time to read or do anything. Like I'm just mm-hmm. Full on baby mode. So yeah, that's a season or. When your kids go to school or um, or when you're starting a group practice versus three years into a group practice, that looks different too.
Dawn Gabriel: And so, yeah, different seasons will be different things to people. Um, so. I was joking. One, there's a podcast I follow called um, potters Inn and it's Soul Care Conversations. It's a good one, but they're always so amazing and I'm like, yeah, cuz they're retired and they have like so much time to do all this stuff.
Dawn Gabriel: They, and I'm like, I would love to have all this time, but. I think seasons knowing that. Um, one thing I do wanna say with that, the daily examine, I don't know if you've heard of that type of thing, but the Daily examines a good way to figure out what is sole care for you. And so I would say what that is and I can, um, email it to anyone who wants it.
Dawn Gabriel: Maybe I should put that on my website too. But the daily examine is really just at the end of the day. Thinking through, where did I experience God today without judgment? Where did I not experience God today? And just get curious about those things and just start noticing if there's a theme of, huh, I experienced him here, here and here.
Dawn Gabriel: Not here, here and here again without judgment. And so when I do that, I notice for me some big ones are hiking. Community, but like deep connection within that community. Mm-hmm. Um, like laughing, having a deep conversation with a friend, one-on-one or with a client. I experienced that sole moment with a client who gets it.
Dawn Gabriel: Um, and so I started noticing to me, that's where I experience God and how can I create that more.
Whitney Owens: Mm-hmm. So I think that's such a good exercise. So, yeah. Yeah. Creating more of the good things that are already happening. Yeah. It seems
Dawn Gabriel: simple, yet we don't do it. Yeah. It's like that's where your soul comes alive.
Dawn Gabriel: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Whitney Owens: So I'm assuming people will be listening to this thinking, oh, like I need this soul care, but they're struggling, they're not sure best next steps. Um, and I know that this is like your, your wheelhouse, your powerhouse. So I wanna know how can people connect with you and kind of gain that information from
Dawn Gabriel: you?
Dawn Gabriel: Yes. So I, my favorite thing right now is offering these small community groups. I call 'em Sacred Space Community Groups. And they're for like four to six people. That's it. Um, therapists and I try to keep 'em within the same, um, if they're group practice owners, I try to keep 'em within the same. Time range of how long they've been in practice or just where they're at, or maybe their energies are the same.
Dawn Gabriel: And so we do, we meet weekly and. Like the one week is more consulting, kind of talking through their business with a spiritual lens. And then the next week we're doing a spiritual exercise together. So we're actually learning spiritual practices that we can do. Mm-hmm. And um, and then, then the next week is, um, more hot seat.
Dawn Gabriel: But again, if that person in the hot seat wants to do a spiritual exercise, we can do that. So I'm teaching a lot of these practices within this group. And then the last week we, um, Either do a coworking or I ask the group what they want for the last week. So I would say that is the best way. Or my podcast, I talk a lot about it on my podcast as well, which is sole care for therapists.
Dawn Gabriel: Mm.
Whitney Owens: That's awesome. Okay. And so if somebody's hearing about your community group and they wanna be a part of it, what,
Dawn Gabriel: what can they do? Um, so right now I'm in the middle of rebranding and changing my pod, uh, my website. So my website is still faith fringes.com. They can go there, there'll be all the information under community there.
Dawn Gabriel: And then, um, or also just reach out to me on social media. I'm on Facebook and Instagram at Soul Care for Therapists.
Whitney Owens: Awesome. I love it. Well, and Dawn, you're gonna be here
Dawn Gabriel: in Savannah. I know. I can't wait. I've heard about your lovely city for so long. I cannot wait to walk down the streets and have, have a chai with you.
Dawn Gabriel: Oh yes. Well, there is a lot. If I can steal you away for Ahai, I would with 10 other people. I would love that.
Whitney Owens: Because you know what it would be, it'd be soul care.
Dawn Gabriel: I know. Oh yeah. Chai is soul care to me.
Whitney Owens: So we can like integrate multiple so pairs the
Dawn Gabriel: water, the Chung. Um,
Whitney Owens: well you have so much to give and so I, I hope that therapist will head to your website and I think you have a PDF there for
Dawn Gabriel: them.
Whitney Owens: Your email list where you really help people with soul care.
Dawn Gabriel: Yes, there's a therapist matrix assessment tool. It's like the self-awareness tool where they can kind of look and rank themselves where they are at. Um, and then there'll be steps of what they can do next. So that'll be, um, on my firstPage@faithfringes.com.
Dawn Gabriel: For now and then, uh, they could just download that si and sign up and get, they'll get their P D F in the, their email box. Perfect.
Whitney Owens: Well, I appreciate you taking the time to be with us today and looking forward to many more conversations on
Dawn Gabriel: this topic. Yes, for sure. Thank you, Whitney. Description text goes here
