Clinicians in private practice, groups, hospitals and agencies are trained to listen deeply, work through emotional complexity and build human connection. The effort needed to sustain this work often goes unseen; we call it the “invisible work” of therapy. This workshop looks at the relational, emotional and cognitive tasks that are vital to care yet rarely measured or paid for. Using the book The Last Human Job by Allison Pugh, we consider how connective labor operates in different clinical contexts, how documentation and productivity demands hide its worth, and how clinicians can name it, protect it and speak up for this core part of therapy.
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to
- Define emotional labor and connective labor in the context of therapeutic work, with reference to current sociological research.
- Identify how the invisible aspects of clinical labor (e.g., attunement, presence, holding space) are undervalued or unmeasured within institutional frameworks.
- Evaluate the impact of this undervaluation on therapist well-being, burnout, and professional identity.
- Apply strategies to advocate for structural change and create personal and collective practices that honor and sustain the emotional labor of therapy.
Syllabus:
Introduction
- Overview of objectives and session structure
- Defining “invisible work” in therapy
- Inspiration from The Last Human Job by Allison Pugh
Objective #1: Defining the Invisible Work
- Emotional, connective, and cognitive labor in clinical settings
- Historical roots — Hochschild, Tronto, Pugh
- Examples of invisible labor: holding space, managing countertransference, relational repair
Objective #2: Professional Expectations vs. Hidden Costs
- The paradox of professionalism
- Burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury
- How systems erase or undervalue relational work
Objective #3: Making the Invisible Visible
- Case example: “Regina at the Agency”
- Group reflection on invisible labor in daily practice
- Therapist identity, worth, and moral tension
Objective #4: Reclaiming Language
- Reframing clinical language:
- “Billable” → relational impact
- “Non-productive time” → reflective integration
- “Soft skills” → core competencies
- Reference to Words Were Originally Magic (Steve de Shazer)
Objective #5: Strategies for Sustainability
- Personal: Micro-rituals for decompression, emotional residue check-ins, recovery minutes, naming labor in supervision
- Collective: Peer consultation with emotional processing, co-regulation rituals (e.g., Two Roses and a Thorn), collaborative storytelling
- Structural: Add relational metrics to reviews, advocate for reflective supervision, link clinician well-being to outcomes
Objective #6: Integration & Reflection
- Group brainstorm: redefining productivity
- Integrating the learning — personal, collective, structural levels
- Closing reflections:
- “The invisible can become visible when named.
- “Change starts with language and shared recognition.”
- “Every act of presence is advocacy.”
Social workers completing this course receive 2 General Skill Building asynchronous continuing education credits.
For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 2 General Skill Building continuing education training.
Instructor: Aseem Garg, LPCC-S, LMFT
Recording Date: November 7, 2025
CEUS On-Demand, LLC, provider #2274, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/7/2026 - 08/6/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2hrs General continuing education credits.
CEUs On-Demand, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7091. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CEUs On-Demand, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
System Requirements: Firefox, Chrome, Brave, Safari, Edge on any modern operating system (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS). A desktop browser is recommended. We do not provide support resources for issues encountered using a mobile device.
Request for Special Accommodations: Learners can request special accommodations by contacting the administrative team at admin@ceus-ondemand.com