ABSTRACT
The subject of this chapter is important to me for several reasons. Firstly, when I was a trainee I experienced a considerable degree of stress. Although not all the stress was negative and was mostly perceived as a challenge rather than a threat, I was surprised by the number of demands placed on me and the extent to which they stretched my coping resources. Later, when I became a (stressed!) trainer, I found that some of the pressures were related to my role in attempting to provide support for a number of stressed trainees. In my efforts to understand stress in training I have carried out research into stress and coping in both trainee and qualified clinical psychologists and have now extended my research interests into stress in trainee and qualified mental health professionals more generally. I am committed to the concept of psychotherapists taking care of themselves and this chapter will draw on relevant aspects of my research and experience.
