Compassion Fatigue Burnout - ViewPoint Health •Discover what leads to burnout and compassion fatigue in your work •Identify coping strategies that you can use to increase your

Burnout &

Compassion

Fatigue

Debra Hopkins

Staff Development & Training Coordinator

August 2013

OBJECTIVES

Discover what leads to burnout and

compassion fatigue in your work

Identify coping strategies that you can use

to increase your resiliency

Develop ways to find support for yourself

and give support to your colleagues

Help supervisors manage burnout and

compassion fatigue in the workplace

Personal Mission Statement

Take some time to complete

your personal mission

statement.

You will look at it again at the

end of the course.

The Data 57% of social workers have been threatened &

16% physically assaulted

40% of nurses have been physically assaulted

52% of behavioral health staff are at medium to

high risk for anxiety and depression disorders,

which is twice as high than the general

population

Twice as many nurses used EAP than the

general employee population

59% of mental health professionals are willing to

seek help vs. 15% of law enforcement

professionals

Major Health Concern

Increased recognition of negative impact

on organizations causes significant

work place disturbances

High Attrition

Poor Employee Retention

Soaring Long Term Disability and Sick

Leave costs

Definitions

Burnout: Exhaustion of physical or

emotional strength or motivation usually as

a result of prolonged stress or frustration

that gradually builds to a breaking point.

Compassion Fatigue: A debilitating

weariness brought about by repetitive,

empathic response to pain and suffering,

compassion fatigue is a result of absorbing

and internalizing the emotions of clients and,

sometimes, co-workers.

Burnout

Occurs when there is no joy left in doing

your job and you feel exhausted.

You often feel apathetic, a loss of emotional

investment, and an adoption of whats the

point? attitude.

Burnout

Physical & emotional exhaustion as a

result of prolonged stress and

frustration

Depleted ability to cope with work

demands

Sense of powerlessness to achieve

goals

Alters our view of the workplace

Can happen in any occupation

Compassion Fatigue

A state of exhaustion and dysfunction,

biologically, psychologically and socially, as a

result of prolonged exposure to secondary

trauma or a single intensive event. (Figley,

1995)

Series of psychosocial and emotional factors

caused by a specific event or events

indirectly affecting helpers.

Emotional fallout from delivering services to

those that were primarily traumatized.

When was Compassion Fatigue Defined?

First diagnosed in Nurses in the 1950s. It

has also been discovered in other giving

professions, including social workers,

doctors, disaster response/relief workers,

attorneys, and charity workers, as well as

other helping professions.

Compassion fatigue has been studied by the

field of traumatology where it has been

called the cost of caring for people facing

others emotional pain.

The Compassion Fatigue Process

Figley, 2001

Who is More Likely to Develop

Compassion Fatigue.?

.Anyone with the capacity for true

compassion, empathy, concern & caring.

We try to stay within professional

boundaries and adhere to the training

guidelines we received.

However, our greatest strength, our

compassionate connection, is also our

greatest vulnerability.

This is not a characteristic to throw away.

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Emotional Despair

Hopelessness/Helplessn

ess

Decreased Pleasure

Stress & Anxiety

Negative Attitude

Overwhelmed

Powerlessness

Guilt

Anger/Rage

Survivors Guilt

Shutdown

Numbness No Joy

Fear

Sadness

Depression

Emotional Roller Coaster

Overly Sensitive

Vulnerable Feeling

Drained

Association with Trauma

Affects You Deeply

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Behavioral Impaired Judgment

Impatient

Irritable

Withdrawn

Moody

Sleep Disturbance

Nightmares

Appetite Changes

Hyper Vigilant

Startle Response

Accident Prone

Lose Items

Negative Reaction to

Small Changes

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Cognitive Poor Concentration

Low Self-Esteem

Apathy

Rigidity

Disorientation

Perfectionism

Minimization

Preoccupation with

Trauma

Thoughts of Self-harm or

Harm to Others

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Personal

Relationships Decreased Interest in

Intimacy or Sex

Mistrust

Isolation

Parental Over Protection

Projection of Anger or

Blame

Intolerance

Loneliness

Interpersonal Conflicts

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Physical/Somatic Shock

Sweating

Rapid Heartbeat

Hypertension

Breathing Difficulties

Aches & Pains

Dizziness

Headaches

Increased Number &

Intensity of Medical

Maladies

Impaired Immune

System

Other Somatic

Complaints - the mind or environment affecting the

body

Substance Abuse

Recurring Thoughts

About a particular Case

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Work Performance Low Morale

Low Motivation

Avoiding Tasks

Obsession Over Details

Apathy

Negativity

Lack of Appreciation

Detachment

Poor Work Habits

Staff Conflicts

Absenteeism

Chronic Lateness

Withdrawal Form

Colleagues

Personal Issues Intrude

on Work

Workaholism cynical & discouraged yet cant leave

work

Diminished Sense of

Personal

Accomplishment

Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

Spiritual

Question the

Meaning of Life

Loss of Purpose

Lack of Self-

Satisfaction

Anger at God

Question Religious

Beliefs

Loss of Faith

Skepticism

Inability to

Maintain Balance

of Empathy &

Objectivity

Primary vs. Secondary Trauma

Primary Trauma:

A consequence of ones work, i.e. EMS, car

accidents, fatalities involving children

From our personal lives, our own past

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Secondary Trauma:

Trauma Reactions that involve others trauma

imagery or trauma stories characterized by

panic, horror, or helplessness in relation to the

event. (Tikasz)

Other Forms of Compassion Fatigue

1. Secondary Traumatic

Stress Disorder

2. Secondary Victimization

3. Vicarious Trauma

4. Emotional Hijacking

5. Cumulative Stress

SMALL GROUP EXERCISE # 1

Discuss a case that caused you to take it

home with you or caused symptoms of

compassion fatigue.

Identify the factors that caused you to

relate to the person/victim/family/event.

Note the commonalities among you and

choose a person to share this with the

class.

Secondary Traumatic

Stress

.when a client is experiencing a trauma

that you have personal experience with,

past emotions may be triggered, along

with feelings and personal trauma.

Some examples are homelessness,

physical abuse, emotional abuse,

hospitalization, illness, death of a loved

one.

Secondary Victimization

.when helping a client that is victim to

sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, you

may experience the trauma caused by

these events first-hand, though you didnt

experience the event first-hand.

Vicarious Trauma..

PTSD-related symptoms from working

with clients and families that have trauma

and grief:

May co-exist with burnout

May occur from exposure to one

case or a cumulative level of trauma

(Figley, 1995)

Vicarious Trauma.

.when a clients traumatic experiences

affect you deeply even though you are

experiencing the trauma second hand.

Vicarious: experienced through another by imagining: experienced through somebody

else rather than at first hand, by using

sympathy or the power of the imagination

endured for somebody else: done or endured

by somebody as a substitute for somebody

else

Vicarious Trauma. Repeated exposure to difficult stories

changes our view of the world

Results in nightmares, certain images

repeated, intense preoccupation with a

story or event

When external trauma becomes an

internal reality it impacts the entire

nervous system (Lipsky, 2009)

Accumulates over time and across clients

Occupational Hazard

Occupational Hazard We do not get Compass