In this chapter, I delve into the critical topic of self-care for counselling professionals through an autoethnographic lens, focusing on my transition into academia. The inspiration stems from the students’ palpable surprise upon learning of my personal therapy experience, which contrasted sharply with the understanding and acceptance found in my peer therapist circles. This revelation underscored the necessity of attentive self-care in navigating this new phase of professional development. The chapter examines the complex interplay between professional identity, the concept of the ‘wounded healer’, imposter syndrome and the value of personal therapy in building resilience against burnout and compassion fatigue. The traditional academic climate still harbours the outdated view of the therapist as an impartial, unemotional analyst. This chapter challenges that notion by advocating for the recognition of therapists’ humanness and vulnerabilities. I argue that the prevalent silence around the concept of the ‘wounded healer’ perpetuates a harmful culture within academia. To counter this, the chapter aims to humanise the therapist and educator, advocating for personal therapy as a proactive form of self-care and calling for a paradigm shift towards non-judgemental acceptance of our imperfections as therapeutic assets. In so doing, it seeks to pave the way for a more compassionate and sustainable professional life in the world of counselling academia.