Compassion Fatigue
Published on Feb 03, 2019
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Welcome & Introductions
- Your name
- Your role
- What do you want to take away from today's training?
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Compassion
- “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by suffering a misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause”
Photo by Matt Collamer
Fatigue
- “extreme tiredness, typically resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness”
Photo by Cris Saur
Complex Trauma
- “A psychologically distressing event that is outside of usual human experience that induces an abnormally intense and prolonged stress response.”
Physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect
Natural disasters
Incarceration
Involuntary hospitalization
Generational poverty
Addiction
Community violence
Interpersonal violence in the home
Combat
Injury and death from accidents
Life threatening medical conditions
Trainer Note
Deep and often uncontrollable hurt individual that an individual feels after being traumatized.
Intense betrayal often from someone they love that may be repeated
Psychological state of not trusting anyone (rigid boundaries) for fear of being deeply hurt again.
Highly frustrated and quick to react may be due to the Limbic System Response to trauma
Take on the victim role and tend to blame the worker for mistakes they may have made. The executive functioning of their brain may not be able to take on the concept of personal responsibility when they have endured so much challenge
Due to all the above, they may feel they are entitled to more than may be reasonable or that is offered from any one organization
May use deceptive measures as a survivor skill that has not been worked on yet.
May go into graphic details of horrifying events with little or no affect do to disassociation not understanding the impact of the details has on the worker
Hesitant to tell the truth for fear of consequences and/or vulnerability.
Using these points is done to help the participants in the training soften the lens they are looking through at their clients. It is a reminder that those who have been through great stress may not realize that their survival skills and/or coping mechanisms are unhealthy.
Natural disasters
Incarceration
Involuntary hospitalization
Generational poverty
Addiction
Community violence
Interpersonal violence in the home
Combat
Injury and death from accidents
Life threatening medical conditions
Trainer Note
Deep and often uncontrollable hurt individual that an individual feels after being traumatized.
Intense betrayal often from someone they love that may be repeated
Psychological state of not trusting anyone (rigid boundaries) for fear of being deeply hurt again.
Highly frustrated and quick to react may be due to the Limbic System Response to trauma
Take on the victim role and tend to blame the worker for mistakes they may have made. The executive functioning of their brain may not be able to take on the concept of personal responsibility when they have endured so much challenge
Due to all the above, they may feel they are entitled to more than may be reasonable or that is offered from any one organization
May use deceptive measures as a survivor skill that has not been worked on yet.
May go into graphic details of horrifying events with little or no affect do to disassociation not understanding the impact of the details has on the worker
Hesitant to tell the truth for fear of consequences and/or vulnerability.
Using these points is done to help the participants in the training soften the lens they are looking through at their clients. It is a reminder that those who have been through great stress may not realize that their survival skills and/or coping mechanisms are unhealthy.
Photo by WarzauWynn
Trauma and the Brain
Photo by dierk schaefer
What is STSD?
- Definitions Adverse reactions of workers who seek to aid trauma survivors Service-related secondary exposure to stressful events Service-related exposure to workplace changes
Trainer Note
There has been much research on this. A resource and booklist will be provided at the end of the training for anyone who is interested.
Often survivors will you give you graphic and detailed accounts of their trauma with a disconnection in event and voice inflection. This is their brains way of dealing with the trauma-being once removed from it. You on the other hand may feel all the feelings that would go with the story.
This infection has been referred to as Organizational contagion.
The bi-product can lead to Personal Emotional Contagion for the individual
People can be traumatized without actually being physically harmed or threatened by harm
Listening to and learning about violent personal assault, serious accidents, sudden death, violent acts and extreme hardship by people we are connected to can cause secondary stress reactions
Secondary Traumatic Stress can “infect” an entire organization or system after first appearing in only one staff member
Secondary Traumatic Stress is a by-product of caring for traumatized people
Photo by Centophobia
Additional Considerations
- Different than Absorbing trauma and stress of others Can emerge suddenly with little warning Recovery easier to obtain Different than burnout
Photo by Goh Rhy Yan
Burnout
- Subtle over time A process, not a fixed condition Happens in all types of organizations, not just human service work Leads one to believe he or she is not meant for this type of service work Feelings of being ineffective, callous, negative, cynical emotional absence, sarcastic and feeling of being “stuck” Reduced efficacy Creates a sense of guilt and shame
Photo by Shane Rounce
Organizational Impact
- Low morale Ethical Breaches Fiduciary responsibilities lessen Potential harm to individual recovery
Photo by Christmas w/a K
Who is at Risk?
- Empathetic people
- Stressful home situations
- Personal experience with trauma
- Working with children with trauma
- Lacking in self-care
Photo by Mike Wilson
Warning Signs
Trainer Note:
Warning signs are good. They help us to slow down and take a good and insightful look at what is happening. With the following warning signs mention that they are in the order the appear to show less severe to more severe. If people are experiencing any of the warning signs past the first slide they want to take some immediate action to balance their life with more compassion satisfaction. Remind them again that the topic is heavy and there are simple steps they can take to reverse this process.
Photo by oatsy40
Warning Signs
- Feeling helpless and hopeless-can’t do enough Feel the need to rescue, heal or fix Hyper-vigilance
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Warning Signs
- Diminished creativity Inability to embrace complexity Minimizing
Trainer Note:
Warning signs are good. They help us to slow down and take a good and insightful look at what is happening. With the following warning signs mention that they are in the order the appear to show less severe to more severe. If people are experiencing any of the warning signs past the first slide they want to take some immediate action to balance their life with more compassion satisfaction. Remind them again that the topic is heavy and there are simple steps they can take to reverse this process.
Photo by RhondaK Native Florida Folk Artist
Warning Signs
- Chronic exhaustion Physical ailments Avoidance Inability to listen
Photo by Jessica M. Cross
Warning Signs
- Anger and Cynicism Inability to Empathize Addictions Grandiosity
Photo by The Crystal Fairy
Break
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina
Hesitant to Set Boundaries
- Fear of loss of love from someone Fear of abandonment Fear of losing employment Fear of being viewed as mean Fear of someone’s anger or reaction to boundary Lack of clarity on what boundaries can be set
Photo by dreamsjung
Over-Achievers
- High expectations and standards Busy all of the time Take on more responsibility when feeling stressed Feel others are not taking enough responsibility Consider being busy as a sign of success
Photo by Laertes
Personal Stressful Situations
- Children Taking care of self or a family member who has a chronic disease Taking care of an aging parent Financial difficulties Divorce Death
Photo by tim caynes
Minimal Self-Care Practices
- Takes no time for self Puts others first Unhealthy eating Minimal social circle Numbing activities Isolation Lack of personal and professional boundaries
Takes no time for self
Puts others first
Unhealthy eating
Minimal social circle
Numbing activities
Isolation
Lack of personal and professional boundaries
Puts others first
Unhealthy eating
Minimal social circle
Numbing activities
Isolation
Lack of personal and professional boundaries
Photo by sachac
Workplace Challenges
- Death of a staff member or client Reduction in workforce High workload Minimal supervision- Lack of appropriate venue to express feelings
- Lack of ongoing training
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Shifting Priorities
“Taking good care of you, means the people in your life will receive the best of you instead of what is left of you”
Photo by Pete Reed
Put the Oxygen Mask on First
- “Taking good care of you, means the people in your life will receive the best of you instead of what is left of you”
Photo by devittj
10 Steps to Self-Preservation
- If it feels wrong don’t do it Say exactly what you mean Avoid being a people pleaser Trust your instincts Never speak bad about yourself Never give up on your dreams Don’t be afraid to say no Don’t be afraid to say yes Be kind to yourself Let go of what you can’t control Stay away from drama and negativity as much as possible
Photo by gabepopa
Take something off of your plate an don’t replace it with something else
Photo by Melissa Walker Horn
Increase your spiritual or mindfulness practice
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Create Transition Rituals
Photo by Hello I'm Nik
Decrease Trauma Inputs
Photo by William Hook
Attend Education and Training Outside of Your Work
Photo by Tim Wright
Cherish Family & Friends
Photo by ||-SAM Nasim-||
Dig where the Ground is Soft
Photo by Meghan Holmes
Thank You!
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