How Therapists Spend Their Time Between Sessions

I've always wondered what therapists are up to when they have their doors closed between sessions. It's so elusive. I mean, I often do the same thing. But are other therapists really just plunking away at their notes and having a great zen moment? Or is there more going on between sessions?
Today, I took to Instagram to find out, and y'all didn't disappoint. I compiled your 53 responses and share the results here. What do you think most therapists do between sessions?
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This video is geared toward therapists of all kinds, including psychologists, MFTs, LPCCs, social workers, and others in the clinical counseling field.
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[@keyrosellc]

On heavy days like Mondays and Wednesdays, when I'm typically booked back-to-back with little time in between sessions, I make it a priority to carve out at least 30 minutes for myself. During this time, I might grab a quick bite , go to restroom, or take a walk around the complex to recharge. On lighter days, when I have more flexibility, I like to relax by scrolling through social media and watching something that makes me laugh uncontrollably. Regardless of whether it’s a heavy day or a lighter day, I keep notes for the last 30 or so minutes at the end of the day, even if I’m completely done with everything else.

[@xDonJuanx]

I typically do notes, prepare for my next session, or watch UA-cam (if I need to unwind).

[@its_jess4321]

I would have tried to do notes lol sometimes but do emails and eat.
Then get sucked into scrolling. And before I knew it I had my next client.
I wonder also if you did another survey to also distinguish who works at a practice who owns their own practice and who’s in community mental health. Because I think the structure of what support somebody has within the business and also who’s setting up your schedule could dictate what you’re off time looks like.
When I worked in a group or at a community mental health center, I was more likely to connect with people during my breaks. Working by myself I don’t. But I’ll also say that in either practice setting I also wanted to be left alone lol unless I needed a case consultation. When I rented a space for private practice, I found that other shared renters also didn’t really wanna talk and it was not because somebody didn’t like you. Everybody just wanted to kind of like sit in silence.
Which I think is telling obviously of the work that we do. And the mentions of eating or a bathroom break I think lend itself to what somebody in our field would do on their breaks because you can’t do it any other time. Like my husband works a traditional 9 to 5 and he might have a 45 minute or an hour meeting once a day, but he can literally get up and use the bathroom whenever he wants. We can only go to the bathroom Not in session. I mean, I guess you technically could go to the bathroom in the middle of session, but I don’t think anybody would do that unless it’s an emergency lol

[@tiffanychildwithin]

If I'm not trying to trap in the heat or the AC, I actually do open the door in gaps. My supervisor seems to also. We say hi to each other if our doors are open.

[@ShadeCandle]

I would burn out within a month if I was trying to do sessions back-to-back all day. I avoid clinic work because I find I need to give myself at least half an hour between clients to ground and care for myself, never mind the admin work.