Self-Care Practices in Response to Compassion Fatigue in Mental Health Professionals
Mental health professionals invest substantial time, energy, and resources in training and working hard to support others, but may have little to no support for themselves and may not practice regular self-care. As a result, compassion fatigue and burnout are prevalent in the mental health field. Mental health professionals who disregard the practice of self-care may experience increased compassion fatigue and burnout. This presentation will review four research themes regarding compassion fatigue and burnout in this professional population. These themes are: first, the various predictors of compassion fatigue and burnout among mental health professionals; second, the impact of service delivery location; third, self-care practices that may mitigate compassion fatigue; and finally, the ways in which compassion satisfaction may balance compassion fatigue. Researchers have found that the intense nature of mental health work requires these professionals to take part in self-care in order to lessen the risk of burnout and compassion fatigue. Individuals with more years in the field were found to be at higher risk for developing compassion fatigue or burnout. Further, researchers have reported that conducting therapy in private practice may decrease compassion fatigue in comparison to practice within the public agency. Those professionals who experienced greater compassion satisfaction from their work, decreased their risk of compassion fatigue, as well. Future directions are explored, including the need to examine gender differences, client age, and programs that can be implemented to prepare professionals for the intensity and potential risks of their work.
PSY 499, Capstone
Mary Ann Winter-Messiers
SPS 100
11 – 11:30 AM