Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

If you are a psychotherapist, a caregiver or any type of helping professional, it is essential to take care of yourself to be able to effectively help your clients or those in your care. Mental health providers and care takers are often at risk of developing compassion fatigue and burn out.

Periodically review the Compassion Fatigue Checklist included below to stay on top of how your work with clients or helping others may be impacting you.

Review the Self-Care to Counter Compassion Fatigue and Burnout Worksheet included below and incorporate as many of the skills as needed to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout or to repair it if it is present.

This article is an excerpt from The Psychotherapy Toolbox for Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain.

Allison had been working with a few clients that were particularly challenging. One had cancer and the other had chronic pain. Allison was a very effective, kind and compassionate helper who loved working with clients. She noticed that she was feeling exhausted and was beginning to dread the sessions with these clients. She noticed that she often felt like nothing she said was making any difference. She experienced secondhand trauma, first when her client told her about the accident that triggered their chronic pain, and then when she heard about the scary, painful medical procedures the client with cancer had to endure.

When Allison recognized that she was experiencing some signs of compassion fatigue she discussed it in her supervision group and with her personal therapist. When she discussed the progress each client was making with her group she realized they had both made significant gains in their ability to manage their illness and pain. She explored options for dealing with her second-hand trauma with her therapist. She also became more mindful of taking time to rest and rejuvenate. She started meditating on a more regular basis, set up a regular massage appointment and restarted walking daily. She soon started feeling more like herself