Support for Helping Professionals
Compassion fatigue is REAL
Counselors, teachers, first responders, medical professionals, foster parents, and other professionals work in high stress situations because they are dedicated to helping others. People who work in these environments often experience secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, burn-out, anxiety, poor health, and emotional numbing. Your own peace and well-being shouldn’t be the price you pay for helping others. At Resolve we have a variety of services to help restore your peace and passion for making the world a better place.
In addition to mental health support, Resolve offers continuing education, consultation, and supervision services.
What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion fatigue has been described as the “cost of caring” for others in emotional pain (Figley, 1982).
The helping field has gradually begun to recognize that workers are profoundly affected by the work they do. Whether it is by direct exposure to traumatic events or hearing clients talk about trauma they have experienced, helping professionals are asked to carry the weight of the worst that happens in this world. The work of helping requires professionals to open their hearts and minds to their clients and patients – unfortunately, this very process of empathy is what makes helpers vulnerable to being profoundly affected and even possibly damaged by their work.
How can Resolve help?
Working through compassion fatigue can help professionals find meaning and joy in their work again. We will help you learn skills such as mindfulness, grounding, and using your breath as well as developing plans for self care and self compassion. Life doesn’t have to be so hard!
Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue
Excessive blaming
Bottled up emotions
Isolation from others
Voices excessive complaints about administrative functions
Substance abuse used to mask feelings
Receives unusual amount of complaints from others
Compulsive behaviors such as overspending, overeating, gambling, sexual addictions
Poor self-care (i.e., hygiene, appearance)
Legal problems, indebtedness
Reoccurrence of nightmares and flashbacks to traumatic events
Chronic physical ailments such as gastrointestinal problems and recurrent colds
Apathy, sad, no longer finds activities pleasurable
Difficulty concentrating
Mentally and physically tired
Preoccupied
In denial about problems
Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue
- Excessive blaming
- Bottled up emotions
- Isolation from others
- Voices excessive complaints about administrative functions
- Substance abuse used to mask feelings
- Receives unusual amount of complaints from others
- Compulsive behaviors such as overspending, overeating, gambling, sexual addictions
- Poor self-care (i.e., hygiene, appearance)
- Legal problems, indebtedness
- Reoccurrence of nightmares and flashbacks to traumatic events
- Chronic physical ailments such as gastrointestinal problems and recurrent colds
- Apathy, sad, no longer finds activities pleasurable
- Difficulty concentrating
- Mentally and physically tired
- Preoccupied
- In denial about problems