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Signs Of Compassion Fatigue And Burnout

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Cultivating Effective Coping Strategies Away From The Workplace

Therapist Burnout & Compassion Fatigue| 10 Tips to Recognize the Signs & Address It

Coping strategies outside the workplace are just as important as within the workplace. Cultivating these strategies can help individuals maintain their work-life balance and prevent workplace stressors from seeping into their personal lives and homes. In addition to the self-care tips listed above, other effective coping strategies include deep breathing, meditation, or practicing a hands-on hobby like gardening or baking.

Compassion Fatigue Vs Empathy Fatigue

The terms compassion fatigue and empathy fatigue are occasionally used interchangeably. But this can confuse the issue slightly, as some models of compassion fatigue donât agree on the role of empathy in the development of compassion fatigue.

According to Figley , without the ability to empathize, there is little room for compassion fatigue, because empathy is essential to helping work and experiencing the strains of caring. Empathic concern is our impetus to help those people that are suffering, for example, by providing our services as a therapist .

Our empathic response toward clients and patients is how we try to remedy a clientâs suffering and can lead us to share in their emotional responses. âCompassion stressâ is the consequence of empathic responding and represents the ongoing desire to reduce the suffering of the client or patient .

If compassion stress is severe and/or compounded by other life stresses, it can lead to compassion fatigue , which can be emotionally overwhelming and make it more difficult to experience empathy .

However, a more recent model of compassion fatigue challenges the idea that it is empathy that makes us vulnerable to compassion fatigue . Instead, Coetzee and Laschinger suggest a lack of resources, the personâs response to the distress, and inadequate positive feedback make us susceptible to compassion fatigue. Weâll get into these models in more detail a little further on.

Remember That You Are Not Responsible For Fixing Everyones Problems

Being empathetic allows you to understand how another person might be feeling in their current situation. But you might be also trying to step in too far and help fix their problems. You may take on their responsibilities, overextend yourself, and end up ignoring your own needs or obligations to yourself.

So if you find yourself too exhausted to empathize with your friend who is going through a tough time, it might be because you feel responsible for their happiness. You just go beyond compassion to search for possible solutions on their behalf, and that makes the empathy too arduous.

You should remember that many people will simply appreciate it if they have a shoulder to cry on. And often, people just value an active listener. They need someone they can vent to and are not looking for help or any suggestions on how to fix their situation. So you should reframe your perspective. Try to see your empathy not as guidance but as a form of active listening. Then youll feel less apathy when youre asked to show compassion. And more than likely, other people will appreciate your attentiveness.

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Who Is At Risk For Developing Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue can affect a wide range of professions and caregivers. It tends to be common among professionals who regularly work in a helping or healing capacity.

Therapists, for example, may experience compassion fatigue when the stories and experiences of the people they meet in therapy start to affect their lives outside of work.

Nurses, because empathy and compassion are demanded of them on a daily basis, may experience compassion fatigue when dealing with heavy workloads, excessive demands of patients, and long hours.

The American Bar Association says that even lawyers, especially those practicing in areas that may require them to visit accident scenes, view graphic evidence, or deal with reports of trauma, have a high susceptibility to compassion fatigue.

Several factors can put therapists at higher risk for developing compassion fatigue:

  • Specializing in therapy that introduces them to extreme issues nearly every session.
  • Being physically threatened by a person under their therapeutic care.
  • A person under their care dying by suicide.
  • Providing therapeutic services to someone considered dangerous.
  • Working exclusively with people who experience depression and/or child abuse.
  • Providing therapy for someone who has experienced the death of a child or who has a dying child.

Study Design And Methodological Quality

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Comparison between studies was difficult given the heterogeneity of the interventions themselves and the lower level of methodological quality for the majority of studies. The majority of studies were of low to moderate quality , with only two RCT studies included in our review . The majority of studies employed a pre-post design, most of which did not include a long-term follow up . Additionally, the length of the intervention period varied considerably from a single four hour session to six, one hour sessions once a week for 12 weeks . This is a concern, as significant behavioural and personal routine modification is required in some cases, without any complementary changes being made to the work-related risk factors such as reduced exposure to traumatised patients or clients or increased rest between shifts. Change is also unlikely within this short time period , thus making significant improvement in CS or a significant decrease in BO and/or STS similarly improbable. Finally, in addition to highly variable methodological design and quality, most studies included have small sample sizes with less than 100 subjects, which reduce statistical power, increase the possibility of type II error, and reduce the ability for statistical tests to detect significant differences between values.

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Compassion Fatigue Is Not Burnout

Nursing burnout is often mistaken for compassion fatigue. Burnout consists of physical, emotional, and psychological components however, compassion fatigue is a factor that leads to nursing burnout and is completely different.

According to Nursingcenter.com, compassion fatigue and burnout are loosely related however, they can be very different. The article reads, nurses must possess compassion to experience the fatigue of it. In contrast, those experiencing burnout need not have the prerequisite of compassion.

Unfortunately, many healthcare institutions do anything to address or acknowledge the issue of compassion fatigue among their staff, nor do they discuss or provide interventions to assist with the issue.

It is vital that members of a healthcare team understand not only compassion fatigue symptoms, but the impact they can have on patients, facilities, and their colleagues.

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Connect To A Bigger Picture

Human connection is important. But empathy burnout can cause you to lose sight of how you connect to others and to the work that you do.

Re-establish your connection by volunteering, making new friends, or doing some continuing education. Rediscovering why you do what you do can reignite the passion for doing it.

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Similarities Between Compassion Fatigue And Vicarious Trauma

Symptoms of both compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma may mimic the symptoms of traumatized clients with whom providers work. Symptoms can include difficulty concentrating, feelings of discouragement, hopelessness, exhaustion, and irritability. In social work fields, both issues can result in high levels of attrition, wherein qualified workers leave the field. Also, both can cause negative outcomes for workers staying in the field. For example, a social worker suffering from compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma may complain frequently, miss work often, or cause co-workers to feel frustrated or stressed.

Compassion Fatigue In Nursing: What It Is And How To Deal With It

Recognizing Compassion Fatigue, Vicarious Trauma, and Burnout in the Workplace

In nursing, compassion fatigue means that a nurse has gradually become less compassionate about the medical challenges his or her patients face. Compassion fatigue in healthcare settings is actually quite common with some studies reporting that 7.3% to 40% of study respondents suffered from the condition.

Theres no doubt that healthcare professionals devote a significant amount of effort and time toward giving patients optimal quality of care, so its important to look at both sides of the fence when trying to understand compassion fatigue in nursing, including what it is and why it happens.

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Burnout Is A Result Of Job

Burnout is commonly understood as a stress condition brought on by being involved in an intense situation for an extended period without enough rest and recreation.

Common organizational challenges that can undermine job satisfaction and lead to burnout include a lack of recognition or resources to meet job responsibilities and increased demand for results. Burnout is something that employees across all industries and professions can experience.

Compassion fatigue is a specific form of burnout from a professionals deep investment in aiding others. Vicarious trauma, sometimes called secondary traumatic stress, happens when professionals are repeatedly exposed to others stress from traumatic events. Witnessing employees navigate stressful events due to COVID-19 can cause secondary traumatic stress symptoms if they overwhelm your natural capacity to cope.

On the other hand, burnout emerges as a reaction to occupational stress and being overworked. It typically results in physical and emotional exhaustion, helplessness, disengagement, and demoralization/hopelessness.

Many employees with burnout decide that they just dont like their jobs. Employees who suffer from compassion fatigue, on the other hand, may still love their job, yet, they feel burnt out. They typically think they should be trying harder they may believe their burnout is somehow their fault.

Managing Vicarious Trauma And Compassion Fatigue

Organizational health researchers are working on finding the most effective strategies to reduce, mitigate, and prevent CF and VT in helping those closest to addicts. First off, if the helper can better control their schedule when they help the addict, then they are more likely to relieve symptoms of CF and VT. In addition, this helps reduce trauma exposure and direct contact with the addicted individual in an environment that only causes more harm than good.

Those who constantly lend support to an addicted individual can also decrease their risk of burnout, CF, and VT by debriefing such emotions through conversation with a secure supportive person or by journaling about their emotions. This strategy is used by many health professionals and hospital staff to release any lingering trauma left on their shoulders after helping someone. The most simple way to reduce the risk of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma is to reduce the amount of time an individual spends helping an addict.

Preventing the consequences of being an addicted individuals helper is do-able. It is important to focus on oneself as much as one would focus on others. It is very easy for the parent or family member of a drug addict to forget about themselves entirely in an effort to help their loved one in every way, but doing so only leads to burnout. In sum, here are practical ways to prevent and cope:

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However, compassion satisfaction, which is the ability to get satisfaction in whatever you do, can act as a buffer to burnout because it incorporates elements of empathy which lead to lower levels of burnout. An empathic social worker is not affected by the experiences of his client but rather embraces those experiences to understand the root cause of such conditions. He /she place himself/herself in the shoes of the client and try to understand the experiences of his/her client. It is a pleasure for a social worker to help his/her clients. Empathy is largely associated with compassion satisfaction. It is able to reduce or prevent burnout to any social worker because it is a positive attitude that derives pleasure in helping others. It is, therefore, important to incorporate elements of empathy into the training program of any social worker because it is a good mitigating measure against burnout .

References

Wagaman, M., Geiger, J., Shockley, C. and Segal, E. . The role of empathy in burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress among social workers. Social Work, 60 , 201-209.

Roberts, A. . Crisis intervention handbook. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Richard J. and Burl G. Crisis Intervention Strategies. Brooks/ Cole: Cengage Learning.

Caregiver Burnout Vs Compassion Fatigue

Burnout Vs Compassion Fatigue

Most caregivers have probably heard of burnout, but many are unfamiliar with the concept of compassion fatigue and how these two conditions differ. Dr. Beth Hudnall Stamm, Ph.D., retired professor and researcher in the field of traumatic stress, defines compassion as feeling and acting with deep empathy and sorrow for those who suffer. Family caregivers are often compassionate individuals by nature. This characteristic is typically considered an asset, but it leaves them at risk for the negative costs of caring for others.

Compassion fatigue is an extreme state of tension and stress that can result in feelings of hopelessness, indifference, pessimism and overall disinterest in other peoples issues, explains Christine Valentin, LCSW, owner of a private counseling practice in New Jersey where she works with adults experiencing anxiety and/or depression related to work, relationships, caregiving and chronic diseases.

Unlike caregiver burnout, compassion fatigue is a secondary traumatic stress disorder that results from exposure to another persons traumatic experience and creates high levels of emotional stress. Compassion fatigue is primarily considered an occupational hazard for individuals who encounter stress and trauma in their work environments, such as nurses, mental health professionals, correctional workers and child protection workers. In fact, it is a contributing factor in why many people in these fields leave their jobs to pursue other kinds of work.

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Heres How You Can Prevent And Treat Compassion Fatigue

Its important to take steps to reduce compassion fatigue. Untreated, the symptoms of compassion fatigue can lead to mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders and substance use disorders.

It might sound cliché, but you need to put your own oxygen mask on before you help others with theirs, Dr. Srivathsal said. We need to make sure we are tending to our own emotional and physical well-being and needs while we are involved in providing care for others.

Dr. Srivathsal recommends:

Compassion Fatigue Explained: 22 Symptoms

Compassion fatigue is a form of stress or tension that arises from frequent contact with traumatized people, where we become preoccupied with the suffering or pain of others .

Compassion fatigue is a serious problem that can undermine a personâs mental and physical health and negatively affect their relationships and ability to care for others .

Compassion fatigue can show itself in a range of symptoms and behaviors, such as:

  • Diminished ability or interest to care for others
  • Preoccupation with people you help
  • Mental and/or physical exhaustion

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Consequences Of Compassion Fatigue

Untreated compassion fatigue has several overarching consequences, both direct and indirect, for the field of social work.

Direct consequences include:

  • Poor job performance because of sleep deprivation, stress, and other unhealthy functioning
  • Negativity, leading to low morale and a toxic work environment

Indirect consequences include:

  • Inability of organizations to deliver high-quality patient care
  • High levels of employee turnover
  • Inadequate social service provisions

Because of these negative repercussions, compassion fatigue should be recognized early and dealt with swiftly.

What Is Compassion Fatigue Here Are The Signs You’re Experiencing It

Mental Wellness Moment Preventing compassion fatigue and burnout

With COVID, mass shootings, monkeypox, the fall of abortion rights, racially fueled hate crimes and the exploding mental health crisis just to name a few it can really feel like were stuck in a black hole of bad news.

There is only so much trauma a person can take before it starts to chip away at their mental and physical health. When youre exposed to constant stressors, as weve all been over the past few years, its natural to experience compassion fatigue, a type of empathy burnout that can occur after being excessively exposed to negative events.

Compassion fatigue looks a bit different from person to person but often leaves people feeling exhausted, detached, emotionally disconnected and helpless. For example, maybe you find yourself feeling less affected by horrific shootings, or perhaps you feel indifferent to protests on reproductive justice or unable to help people living in Ukraine. Compassion fatigue is real, and its no surprise that so many people are experiencing it after enduring an extreme amount of pain, rage, disbelief and worry on multiple fronts.

Compassion fatigue also doesnt happen overnight. It takes weeks, sometimes months or years, to take hold. By the time most people recognize theyre struggling, its fully surfaced.

Here are a few signs you might be dealing with compassion fatigue:

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The Stages Of Burnout Have Been Identified As:

Not only are care givers vulnerable, but members of the team/family are as well. Caregivers/team members should not intentionally expose themselves to trauma, unless required to perform a mission.Commonalitities of Burnout and Compassion Fatigue:

  • Emotional exhaustion
  • Reduced sense of personal accomplishment or meaning in work
  • Mental exhaustion
  • Depersonalization
  • Physical exhaustion

Coping And Management Strategies

Identifying compassion fatigue can help you start taking steps to manage it. British Columbias Compass Mental Health Program has provided some tips for coping during these stressful times:

  • Practise mindfulness throughout the day by being aware of your thoughts, feelings and physical sensations.
  • When you start to feel anxious, help yourself calm down by focusing on your breath and slowing down your breathing rate.
  • If you feel overwhelmed and out of control, take a moment to think about what you do have control over and what you can change.
  • Establish a good self-care routine that includes eating healthy, getting more exercise and getting enough sleep.
  • Reach out to others for support, whether thats friends, family or a peer support group.
  • Set aside time for meaningful activity and find ways to connect with loved ones.
  • Take a break from the news and limit the time you spend online every day.

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