Highly Sensitive People (HSP) make up around 20% of the population. We're born into this world with innate traits that include depth of processing, empathy and sensitivity to subtleties in our internal and external landscape. Considering these traits, it isn't surprising that so many Highly Sensitive People are drawn toward careers that revolve around helping, healing or transforming the lives of other people in some way. In fact, becoming a coach, therapist or mentor can be one of the best career options for HSP because it's in these roles that we're able to tap into our innate gifts.
Even though coaching, therapy, and other forms of healing work are fantastic career options for HSP, this work still comes with struggles and challenges. In this article, I'll share 5 of the reasons HSP very much thrive in these positions and what can be done to navigate any struggles along the way!
1. Very good at Holding Space
Over the many years of working as a Transpersonal Coach for HSP, I've learned that one of the most important skills to be an excellent coach is knowing how to hold space for others. Holding space involves the coach listening with deep awareness – not only with the mind but also with body, soul, and spirit - so one can enter an empathetic and compassionate space. As HSP, we're incredibility empathetic, so this ability to hold space comes very naturally to us.
2. Highly Intuitive
As HSP we tend to be very intuitive and aware of subtle changes in our environment. We often tap into what is 'not spoken' because we pick up subtle phenomena, such as the energy of a person or space, and we also notice micro-expressions in other people. We might get a 'gut feeling' or receive information in our dreams or other visual images. With practice, we learn to listen to these alternative ways of knowing and trust these more intuitive insights.
3. Great listeners
We tend to be on the periphery of a situation in group settings - watching and observing. We take our time to sense or feel into a situation before responding -and when we respond, we do so from a place of deep reflection and curiosity. We really take our time to get to know people and listen to what they share with us. We do this through all of our senses, and, as already mentioned, this includes our intuitive 'sixth sense'. For this reason, we are great listeners, and people are often drawn to us because of our ability to really hear them.
4. Deeply Empathetic
The innate traits of empathy help us work successfully as coaches, therapists or healers. Empathy is a skill that can be cultivated but not always taught. A high level of empathy is a quality which Highly Sensitive People are often born with and appears to be connected to our very reason for being on this earth.
5. Think before Acting or Speaking
It's one of our innate traits to observe before reacting. For the majority of HSP, our traits mean that we tend to watch, observe and think carefully about a person or situation before acting or making a decision. This ability to watch and observe before acting is believed to have advantages in terms of survival – and means that we can detect threats or opportunities more so than others. This is helpful when working as a coach or therapist because we reflect deeply and take our time to respond to the client's feelings and needs. We don't rush into wanting to advise, fix or talk over the other person!
How do we nourish these gifts?
Working as a coach, therapist or healer for Highly Sensitive People means we can cultivate and nourish our innate gifts on a regular basis. We can use our sensitivity to subtleties, our compassionate and empathetic nature, and our intuitive skills to support and guide others on their healing path. We are naturally drawn toward empowering other HSP and helping them see the strengths behind the traits rather than getting stuck in the struggles.
What struggles might we encounter?
Being Highly Sensitive and holding space for others – in whichever form this may take – means that we need to be careful with setting healthy boundaries. Setting healthy boundaries doesn't mean putting up a wall or cutting off our empathy and intuition. It means noticing and discerning which information we are receiving – we can then choose what to do with it.
We are highly empathetic, so we also need to ensure that we consistently release and let go of energy that we may be carrying from others or our environment. Often we can end up carrying emotions or energy that is not our to carry, so any ritual or practice that helps us let go of energy between sessions and on a daily basis is crucial.
Being aware of our wounds and shadow is essential when working with others. We've likely been on a personal journey of healing, and akin to the wounded healer – personal struggles have led us onto a path of healing or supporting others. We must continue to engage in our personal healing as well as receive support or supervision from others.
Self-Care
Self-Care is really essential as a Highly Sensitive Person. Our nervous systems gets easily overwhelmed, and if we don't take time to rest and restore our energy, we can be prone to periods of burnout. Self-care can look many different ways – it might be switching your phone off in the evenings, having a massage, going for walks in nature or connecting with friends or family. It can also involve actively sitting in meditation and offering self-compassion to the parts of yourself that are struggling right now.
Learning to Coach or Mentor Highly Sensitive People
I know many HSP who, because of their innate traits, are searching to make a difference in the world – yet don't know where to start. Many have dipped their toes in coaching or mentoring before but haven't taken it any further and others are already qualified coaches but want to expand their skills to work specifically with Highly Sensitive People.
When I started coaching – I noticed most of my clients were also Highly Sensitive, and I learned that as coaches, therapists or counsellors, it's likely that over 50% of our clients will also be HS! This is why I created a 3-month training on How to Coach Highly Sensitive People. During the training, you'll learn all the essential skills you need to be a guide, mentor or coach for other HSP, and you'll do this all from a holistic and integrative perspective.
Click here to find out more about the training: https://www.highlysensitivehumans.com/coaching-highlysensitiviepeople
About the Author
Jules De Vitto, MAEd, MSc Certified Transpersonal Coach and Educator
Jules De Vitto has a BSc in Psychology, MA in Education and MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Consciousness and Spirituality. She is an accredited and certified Transpersonal Coach, Authentic-Self-Empowerment Facilitator, as well as an experienced teacher and educator.
She is the founder of Highly Sensitive Humans — an online community that offers courses, coaching, articles and a podcast for Highly Sensitive People. She helps those who identify with the traits of high sensitivity to navigate emotional overwhelm, step into their authentic power and align with their true purpose in life.
She is a published author who wrote ‘Resilience: Navigating Loss in a Time of Crisis’ which provides practical resources to cultivate greater resilience and find greater meaning and purpose through times of crisis. She has published her research in the peer-reviewed journal Consciousness, Spirituality & Transpersonal Psychology.