I think that therapy is one way to practice self-care in the overall stressful context of life. Or said another way, going to therapy can be part of an array of tools that you can use to take care of yourself. I don't see therapy so much as having the help of a professional as opposed to me doing the work and taking better care of myself because I'm in therapy.

I have a very stressful job where I need to be very emotionally present and where my performance can make a very big difference in people's lives. I work with severely traumatized people exclusively, and vicarious trauma from this work adds to the overall stress.

For most of my career, I've not been in therapy. Life and work are much better when I am. I don't think I will ever not be in therapy-- maybe I will reduce the frequency from 1/week to 1/every other week or months. Also, I heard a talk by a well known mental health professional who specialized in vicarious trauma. She writes into her work contracts that they will pay for her to go to therapy 1/month. She might even call it self care.

I feel like I have good friends, but there is still something that therapy does for me that support from friends does not. The ability to explore my inner life and to observe myself in a way and in detail and with freedom the way I can in therapy, is not really replicable in other relationships-- even with my H, who I generally feel I can talk to, and with several good friends, who I am very close to. My perspective is that there is nothing wrong with wanting to stay in therapy and continue to make yourself a better person, even if you don't "need" it as a technical matter.