Additional Information for Compassion Without Fatigue
Secondary Trauma Risk Factors Pre-existing anxiety or mood disorders History of personal trauma Limited training in treating trauma-related conditions Younger in age, or new to the field Unhealthy coping (substance abuse, lack of self-care, lack of social support) Lack of tolerance for strong emotions High caseload of clients with trauma-related disorders Protective Factors Male gender or older in age Lack of personal trauma history More years of personal experience Specialized training in trauma informed and trauma specific counseling practices Possessing resilience or the ability to find meaning in and bounce back from stressful life events or adversity Personal autonomy in the workplace Positive personal coping styles Trauma-Informed Care Train-the-Trainer, TMC, 2017
Signs that you are growing fatigued Excessive blaming Bottled up emotions Isolation from others Receives unusual amount of complaints from others Voices excessive complaints about administrative functions Substance abuse use to mask feelings Compulsive behaviors (overspending, overeating, gambling, sexual addictions) Poor self-care (i.e., hygiene, appearance) Legal problems, indebtedness Reoccurrence of nightmares and flashbacks to traumatic event 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 Smith, 2013
Red Flags for Burnout Sleep disruption Feeling numb Inability to maintain healthy boundaries Physical ailments Ignoring/dismissing the people you serve Not being able to de-escalate Not listening or validating concerns Reinforcing harmful messages Creating hard/fast rules (lack of flexibility) Dual relationships Expecting people to be respectful/grateful Not recognizing your own attitudes, biases and discourse Black and white thinking National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Benefits of Mindfulness Improved emotion regulation, stress reduction, and fear modulation Ability to respond to conflict calmly, with flexibility and patience Identifying and communicating emotions of self and others Increased information processing speed and attention, with less effort Increased resiliency Increased ability to be present with others and be helpful Aikens, et al., 2014; Cameron & Fredrickson, 2015; Davis & Hayes, 2011; Harrison & Westwood, 2009