CONCEPTS SIMILAR TO
COMPASSION FATIGUE
•Secondary Traumatic Stress -Secondary experience to the
victim’s story. Has 3 key elements - intrusive thoughts, avoidance,
and negative arousal. Counsellors may take on symptoms of clients
after hearing their stories and be affected by intrusive
imagery.
•Burnout - The most common term. State of physical, mental and
emotional exhaustion or dissatisfaction with work situation. Occurs
in situations of inadequate resources related to the work.
•Vicarious Traumatization - transformation of the inner
experience of the therapist through empathic engagement with the
client’s trauma material i.e., the therapist’s view of the world
changes
•Countertransference - therapists’ conscious or unconscious
reaction to a client
•The profound erosion, both physical and emotional, that occurs
when helpers are unable to refuel and regenerate (Francoise,
2012)
•Affects professionals in any field who come into contact with
people experiencing extreme emotional
pain or trauma (Fingley, 1995; Hamilton, 2008)
•Adverse effects which can occur after working with traumatized
people (Fingley, 2002)
Compassion Fatigue Defined
To combat compassion fatigue and burnout, agency administrators
and therapists may also wish to ask
themselves, “How many cases are too many?‘
Kyle D. Killian
COMPASSION FATIGUEWWW.LAVENDERCOUNSELLING.COM 604-546-7544
I finally came to understand that my exposure to other people’s
trauma had changed me on a fundamental level. There had been an
osmosis: I had absorbed and accumulated trauma to the point that it
had become part of me, and my view of the world had changed.
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky
http://www.lavendercounselling.comhttp://www.lavendercounselling.com
When you’re in the red zone of compassion fatigue, a bath ain’t
gonna cut it!
by Robin Cameron, 2003Sophomore
• • •
HARM TO THE THERAPIST
•Heightened irritability and anger
•Disturbed sleep - hypersomnia, or insomnia
•Avoiding meetings
•Nightmares
•Impaired ability to make decisions
•Forgetfulness
•Numb to own emotions
•Negative self image
•Neglect own needs (engaging in own life, skip lunch, coffee
breaks, work during time off)
•Physical exhaustion
•Headaches or migraines
•Substance misuse
•Addictions (shopping, workaholism, compulsive overeating)
•Attrition
•Exaggerated sense of responsibility
HARM TO THE RELATIONSHIP
•Reduced attentiveness
•Loss of empathy
•Depersonalization
•Unresponsiveness
•Cynicism
•Predictability of client issues
•Avoiding difficult topics with clients
•Feeling discouraged about lack of referral resources - moral
distress
•Avoidance of clients
•Compromised care for clients
HARM TO CLIENTS
•Become intrusive/aggressive with the clients
•avoid trauma re-processing with clients
Key aspects to professional self care 1)Peer support - It is
important for helpers to have the opportunity to give and receive
support fro those in similar roles (Valent, 2002). Consultation
should entail both difficult cases and the emotional reaction of
the helper. 2) Empathy - Another key aspect to professional self
care. Take the time to connect in a meaningful way with your
colleagues.
Protective Factorsfind purpose & meaning in your work
appreciate positive aspects of your work feel competent
counsellor’s worldviewspiritual practice (prayer, meditation,
yoga)s e l f a w a r e n e s s & introspectionhumor
PEER SUPPORT & SUPERVISION ARE KEY
“We burn out not because we don’t care but because we don’t
grieve. We burn out because we’ve allowed our hearts to become so
filled with loss that we have no room left to care” (Remen,
2002)
“The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss
daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be
able to walk through water without getting wet” (Remen, 2002)
