Compassion Fatigue
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Compassion Fatigue
I was searching for things for my caregiving business and came across this for those who may be in this situation. This may also work for those struggling with codependency issues.
The dictionary meaning of compassion is a "feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause" (Webster, 1989, p. 229).
What is Compassion Fatigue?
There is a cost to caring.
Professionals who listen to the stories of fear, pain and suffering of others may feel similar fear, pain and suffering because they care. Professionals especially vulnerable to Compassion Fatigue (CF) include emergency care workers, counselors, mental health professionals, medical professionals, clergy, advocate volunteers, and human service workers. If you ever feel as though you are losing your sense of self to the clients you serve- you may be suffering from CF.
The concept of Compassion Fatigue emerged only in the last several years in the professional literature. It represents the cost of caring about and for traumatized people. Compassion Fatigue is the emotional residue of exposure to working with the suffering, particularly those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. Professionals who work with people, particularly people who are suffering, must contend with not only the normal stress or dissatisfaction of work, but also with the emotional and personal feelings for the suffering.
Compassion Fatigue is NOT "burnout". Burnout is associated with stress and hassles involved in your work; it is very cumulative, is relatively predictable and frequently a vacation or change of job helps a great deal. Compassion Fatigue is very different. Compassion Fatigue is a state of tension and preoccupation with the individual or cumulative trauma of clients as manifested in one or more ways including reexperiencing the traumatic event, avoidance/numbing of reminders of the event, and persistent arousal. Although similar to critical incident stress (being traumatized by something you actually experience or see),with CF you are absorbing the trauma through the eyes and ears of your clients. It can be thought of as secondary post-traumatic stress.
There are human costs associated with CF. Job performance goes down, mistakes go up. Morale drops and personal relationships are affected- peoples home lives start to deteriorate, personality deteriorates and eventually it can lead to overall decline in general health.
This self-test is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis. Consult a physician or mental health professional if you think you might be suffering from Compassion Fatigue.
Consider each of the following characteristics about you and your current situation. Write in the number for the best response. Use one of the following answers.
1= Rarely/Never
2= At Times
3= Not Sure
4= Often
5= Very Often
1. I force myself to avoid certain thoughts or feelings that remind me of a frightening experience.
2. I find myself avoiding certain activities or situations because they remind me of a frightening experience.
3. I have gaps in my memory about frightening events.
4. I feel estranged from others.
5. I have difficulty falling or staying asleep.
6. I have outbursts of anger or irritability with little provocation.
7. I startle easily.
8. While working with a victim I thought about violence against the person or persons who victimized.
9. I am a sensitive person.
10. I have had flashbacks connected to my clients and families.
11. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my adult life.
12. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my childhood.
13. I have thought that I need to "work-through" a traumatic experience in my life.
14. I have thought that I need more close friends.
15. I have thought that there is no one to talk with about highly stressful experiences.
16. I have concluded that I work too hard for my own good.
Items about your clients and their families:
17. I am frightened of things traumatized people and their family have said or done to me.
18. I experience troubling dreams similar to a client of mine and their family.
19. I have experienced intrusive thoughts of sessions with especially difficult clients and their families.
20. I have suddenly and involuntarily recalled a frightening experience while working with a client or their family.
21. I am preoccupied with more than one client and their family.
22. I am losing sleep over a client and their family's traumatic experiences.
23. I have thought that I might have been "infected" by the traumatic stress of my clients and their families.
24. I remind myself to be less concerned about the well-being of my clients and their families.
25. I have felt trapped by my work as a helper.
26. I have felt a sense of hopelessness associated with working with clients and their families.
27. I have felt "on edge" about various things and I attribute this to working with certain clients and their families.
28. I have wished that I could avoid working with some clients and their families.
29. I have been in danger working with some clients and their families.
30. I have felt that some of my clients and their families dislike me personally.
Items about being a helper and your work environment:
31. I have felt weak, tired, rundown as a result of my work as a helper.
32. I have felt depressed as a result of my work as a helper.
33. I am unsuccessful at separating work from personal life.
34. I feel little compassion toward most of my co-workers.
35. I feel I am working more for the money than for personal fulfillment.
36. I find it difficult separating my personal life from my work life.
37. I have a sense of worthlessness/disillusionment/resentment associated with my work.
38. I have thoughts that I am a "failure" as a helper.
39. I have thoughts that I am not succeeding at achieving my life goals.
40. I have to deal with bureaucratic, unimportant tasks in my work life.
SCORING INSTRUCTIONS
Make sure you have responded to ALL questions.
Next, circle the following 23 items: 1-8, 10-13, 17-26 and number 29.
Now ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items circled.
Note your risk of Compassion Fatigue
26 or LESS = Extremely LOW risk
27 to 30 = LOW risk
31 to 35 = Moderate risk
36 to 40 = HIGH risk
41 or more = Extremely HIGH risk
To determine your risk of Burnout, ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items NOT circled.
Note your risk of Burnout
19 or less = Extremely LOW risk
20 to 24 = LOW risk
25 to 29 = Moderate risk
30 to 42 = High risk
43 or more = Extremely high risk
The dictionary meaning of compassion is a "feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain or remove its cause" (Webster, 1989, p. 229).
What is Compassion Fatigue?
There is a cost to caring.
Professionals who listen to the stories of fear, pain and suffering of others may feel similar fear, pain and suffering because they care. Professionals especially vulnerable to Compassion Fatigue (CF) include emergency care workers, counselors, mental health professionals, medical professionals, clergy, advocate volunteers, and human service workers. If you ever feel as though you are losing your sense of self to the clients you serve- you may be suffering from CF.
The concept of Compassion Fatigue emerged only in the last several years in the professional literature. It represents the cost of caring about and for traumatized people. Compassion Fatigue is the emotional residue of exposure to working with the suffering, particularly those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. Professionals who work with people, particularly people who are suffering, must contend with not only the normal stress or dissatisfaction of work, but also with the emotional and personal feelings for the suffering.
Compassion Fatigue is NOT "burnout". Burnout is associated with stress and hassles involved in your work; it is very cumulative, is relatively predictable and frequently a vacation or change of job helps a great deal. Compassion Fatigue is very different. Compassion Fatigue is a state of tension and preoccupation with the individual or cumulative trauma of clients as manifested in one or more ways including reexperiencing the traumatic event, avoidance/numbing of reminders of the event, and persistent arousal. Although similar to critical incident stress (being traumatized by something you actually experience or see),with CF you are absorbing the trauma through the eyes and ears of your clients. It can be thought of as secondary post-traumatic stress.
There are human costs associated with CF. Job performance goes down, mistakes go up. Morale drops and personal relationships are affected- peoples home lives start to deteriorate, personality deteriorates and eventually it can lead to overall decline in general health.
This self-test is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis. Consult a physician or mental health professional if you think you might be suffering from Compassion Fatigue.
Consider each of the following characteristics about you and your current situation. Write in the number for the best response. Use one of the following answers.
1= Rarely/Never
2= At Times
3= Not Sure
4= Often
5= Very Often
1. I force myself to avoid certain thoughts or feelings that remind me of a frightening experience.
2. I find myself avoiding certain activities or situations because they remind me of a frightening experience.
3. I have gaps in my memory about frightening events.
4. I feel estranged from others.
5. I have difficulty falling or staying asleep.
6. I have outbursts of anger or irritability with little provocation.
7. I startle easily.
8. While working with a victim I thought about violence against the person or persons who victimized.
9. I am a sensitive person.
10. I have had flashbacks connected to my clients and families.
11. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my adult life.
12. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my childhood.
13. I have thought that I need to "work-through" a traumatic experience in my life.
14. I have thought that I need more close friends.
15. I have thought that there is no one to talk with about highly stressful experiences.
16. I have concluded that I work too hard for my own good.
Items about your clients and their families:
17. I am frightened of things traumatized people and their family have said or done to me.
18. I experience troubling dreams similar to a client of mine and their family.
19. I have experienced intrusive thoughts of sessions with especially difficult clients and their families.
20. I have suddenly and involuntarily recalled a frightening experience while working with a client or their family.
21. I am preoccupied with more than one client and their family.
22. I am losing sleep over a client and their family's traumatic experiences.
23. I have thought that I might have been "infected" by the traumatic stress of my clients and their families.
24. I remind myself to be less concerned about the well-being of my clients and their families.
25. I have felt trapped by my work as a helper.
26. I have felt a sense of hopelessness associated with working with clients and their families.
27. I have felt "on edge" about various things and I attribute this to working with certain clients and their families.
28. I have wished that I could avoid working with some clients and their families.
29. I have been in danger working with some clients and their families.
30. I have felt that some of my clients and their families dislike me personally.
Items about being a helper and your work environment:
31. I have felt weak, tired, rundown as a result of my work as a helper.
32. I have felt depressed as a result of my work as a helper.
33. I am unsuccessful at separating work from personal life.
34. I feel little compassion toward most of my co-workers.
35. I feel I am working more for the money than for personal fulfillment.
36. I find it difficult separating my personal life from my work life.
37. I have a sense of worthlessness/disillusionment/resentment associated with my work.
38. I have thoughts that I am a "failure" as a helper.
39. I have thoughts that I am not succeeding at achieving my life goals.
40. I have to deal with bureaucratic, unimportant tasks in my work life.
SCORING INSTRUCTIONS
Make sure you have responded to ALL questions.
Next, circle the following 23 items: 1-8, 10-13, 17-26 and number 29.
Now ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items circled.
Note your risk of Compassion Fatigue
26 or LESS = Extremely LOW risk
27 to 30 = LOW risk
31 to 35 = Moderate risk
36 to 40 = HIGH risk
41 or more = Extremely HIGH risk
To determine your risk of Burnout, ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items NOT circled.
Note your risk of Burnout
19 or less = Extremely LOW risk
20 to 24 = LOW risk
25 to 29 = Moderate risk
30 to 42 = High risk
43 or more = Extremely high risk
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Posts: n/a
Overcoming Compassion Fatigue
You're drained, tapped out, have little energy to give others. We’ve all been there. Usually, after a little break we revive and step back up to the plate. What happens, however, when these feelings don’t pass - going beyond fatigue and turning into something much worse, like apathy? This could spell trouble for those caring for an elderly parent or sick child, or for health care professionals rendering care to others. In this interview, one of the nation's leading medical experts talks about compassion fatigue, a condition that plagues many individuals working in and out of the home. What actions can you take to prevent this serious occupational health hazard and risk to caregivers in general?
Q: What is compassion fatigue?
A: This term has replaced the more familiar term "burn-out." It refers to a physical, emotional and spiritual fatigue or exhaustion that takes over a person and causes a decline in his or her ability to experience joy or to feel and care for others. Compassion fatigue is a one-way street, in which individuals are giving out a great deal of energy and compassion to others over a period of time, yet aren’t able to get enough back to reassure themselves that the world is a hopeful place. It’s this constant outputting of compassion and caring over time that can lead to these feelings.
Q: What causes it?
A: Compassion fatigue comes from a variety of sources. Although it often affects those working in care-giving professions - nurses, physicians, mental health workers and clergymen - it can affect people in any kind of situation or setting where they’re doing a great deal of caregiving and expending emotional and physical energy day in and day out.
Q: Who is most at risk of developing compassion fatigue?
A: Although those in the health care and mental health professions are most at risk of developing these feelings, it is not limited to these arenas. It affects those who don’t work outside the home as severely as those who do. Take someone who is actively engaged in taking care of a family member, especially during a crisis period when there is a higher need to give out feelings of compassion and sensitivity. If the crisis doesn’t pass quickly and the individual continues functioning at this level, he is just as susceptible to compassion fatigue over time as those in high-risk professions.
Q: What are some telltale signs of compassion fatigue?
A: First, you should understand that it’s a process. It’s not a matter of one day, you’re living your life with a great deal of energy and enjoyment, and the next, you wake up exhausted and devoid of any energy - both physical and emotional. Compassion fatigue develops over time - taking weeks, sometimes years to surface. Basically, it’s a low level, chronic clouding of caring and concern for others in your life - whether you work in or outside the home. Over time, your ability to feel and care for others becomes eroded through overuse of your skills of compassion. You also might experience an emotional blunting - whereby you react to situations differently than one would normally expect.
Q: If you have this condition, what can you do?
A: The most critical need is to acknowledge that you may be experiencing it. All of us have multiple demands and energy drains in our lives - some positive, some negative - which all require a great deal of emotional and physical attention. There are, however, many hands-on things you can do to mitigate the feelings of compassion fatigue. For one, start refocusing on yourself. Before you can tend to and be sensitive to the needs of others, you have to take care of your own well-being. This can be as simple as getting plenty of rest, becoming more aware of your dietary and recreational habits, and cutting out negative addictions in your life like nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. Remember, the healing process takes time, as does the development of the problem.
Q: What if you’re in a high-risk profession and the feelings don’t pass? Should you quit your job, request a transfer or take an extended vacation?
A: All of these are options depending on your situation. Sometimes people who witness a lot of trauma as part of their jobs - like law enforcement agents, paramedics and fireman - will opt to choose different lines of work. Even if they recuperate and successfully combat these feelings, they sometimes feel they don’t want to begin again the process of exposing their heart and feelings day in and day out. For others, a vacation may do the trick. Vacations are healthy, restorative interventions that can head off negative feelings so that they don’t progress beyond the point of no return. Transferring to another unit either temporarily or permanently is another alternative. A job that’s more mechanical and less human service-oriented can sometimes give people just the respite they need to regain their balance and their empathy towards others.
Q: Is there anyway to prevent compassion fatigue?
A: Preventing compassion fatigue is really the key. It’s much easier to stop it from occurring in the first place than it is to repair things once it sets in. You have to continually practice good emotional health maintenance along the way and maintain some sort of balance in your life. There has to be a portion of your life inn which you need to take, rather than give. Beyond practicing fundamental self-care skills, you need to put yourself in situations in which you see the positives in life, for example, attending a field trip with your child where you’re truly enjoying the experience, or volunteering where you’re able to give and receive. Sometimes, you can’t prevent compassion fatigue from occurring. We see this a lot with individuals working in professions with a high degree of human interaction and human service. However, practicing some of these techniques can restore your ability to feel compassion for and sensitivity to the troubles and difficulties of others.
Q: If you’re in a health care profession, could you be a danger to your patients if you have compassion fatigue?
A: Maybe yes, if you took the scenario to its extreme; however, this isn’t what usually happens. What typically occurs is a numbing of feelings or a distancing and detachment from a patient and his family. It rarely results in a serious medical mistake, but rather prevents the individual from bonding and connecting with those under his care. It’s akin to being on auto-pilot in which those affected put up an interior wall to separate their feelings from the tasks they need to do.
Q: What if you’re caring for an elderly parent and develop these feelings?
A: You need to seek assistance from others - siblings, relatives, friends and neighbors - to give yourself a breather. You also might rotate duties with a sibling, for example. If you’re the one responsible for accompanying your parent to chemotherapy sessions - a highly charged and draining event - you might let your brother or sister do that task for a while while you pick up another.
Q: We’re all bombarded with bad news everyday just by listening to the news or reading the paper. Can this desensitize us as well and what can we do about it?
A: We live in a world in which the media constantly bombards us with images of poverty and violence, bringing us to a point where we almost shut down because it becomes too emotionally taxing to feel for others. One way to prevent this from happening is to refrain from watching the news or reading the paper for a while. This mild escapism can help prevent your heart strings from being constantly tugged by all the sad things taking place in the world.
You're drained, tapped out, have little energy to give others. We’ve all been there. Usually, after a little break we revive and step back up to the plate. What happens, however, when these feelings don’t pass - going beyond fatigue and turning into something much worse, like apathy? This could spell trouble for those caring for an elderly parent or sick child, or for health care professionals rendering care to others. In this interview, one of the nation's leading medical experts talks about compassion fatigue, a condition that plagues many individuals working in and out of the home. What actions can you take to prevent this serious occupational health hazard and risk to caregivers in general?
Q: What is compassion fatigue?
A: This term has replaced the more familiar term "burn-out." It refers to a physical, emotional and spiritual fatigue or exhaustion that takes over a person and causes a decline in his or her ability to experience joy or to feel and care for others. Compassion fatigue is a one-way street, in which individuals are giving out a great deal of energy and compassion to others over a period of time, yet aren’t able to get enough back to reassure themselves that the world is a hopeful place. It’s this constant outputting of compassion and caring over time that can lead to these feelings.
Q: What causes it?
A: Compassion fatigue comes from a variety of sources. Although it often affects those working in care-giving professions - nurses, physicians, mental health workers and clergymen - it can affect people in any kind of situation or setting where they’re doing a great deal of caregiving and expending emotional and physical energy day in and day out.
Q: Who is most at risk of developing compassion fatigue?
A: Although those in the health care and mental health professions are most at risk of developing these feelings, it is not limited to these arenas. It affects those who don’t work outside the home as severely as those who do. Take someone who is actively engaged in taking care of a family member, especially during a crisis period when there is a higher need to give out feelings of compassion and sensitivity. If the crisis doesn’t pass quickly and the individual continues functioning at this level, he is just as susceptible to compassion fatigue over time as those in high-risk professions.
Q: What are some telltale signs of compassion fatigue?
A: First, you should understand that it’s a process. It’s not a matter of one day, you’re living your life with a great deal of energy and enjoyment, and the next, you wake up exhausted and devoid of any energy - both physical and emotional. Compassion fatigue develops over time - taking weeks, sometimes years to surface. Basically, it’s a low level, chronic clouding of caring and concern for others in your life - whether you work in or outside the home. Over time, your ability to feel and care for others becomes eroded through overuse of your skills of compassion. You also might experience an emotional blunting - whereby you react to situations differently than one would normally expect.
Q: If you have this condition, what can you do?
A: The most critical need is to acknowledge that you may be experiencing it. All of us have multiple demands and energy drains in our lives - some positive, some negative - which all require a great deal of emotional and physical attention. There are, however, many hands-on things you can do to mitigate the feelings of compassion fatigue. For one, start refocusing on yourself. Before you can tend to and be sensitive to the needs of others, you have to take care of your own well-being. This can be as simple as getting plenty of rest, becoming more aware of your dietary and recreational habits, and cutting out negative addictions in your life like nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. Remember, the healing process takes time, as does the development of the problem.
Q: What if you’re in a high-risk profession and the feelings don’t pass? Should you quit your job, request a transfer or take an extended vacation?
A: All of these are options depending on your situation. Sometimes people who witness a lot of trauma as part of their jobs - like law enforcement agents, paramedics and fireman - will opt to choose different lines of work. Even if they recuperate and successfully combat these feelings, they sometimes feel they don’t want to begin again the process of exposing their heart and feelings day in and day out. For others, a vacation may do the trick. Vacations are healthy, restorative interventions that can head off negative feelings so that they don’t progress beyond the point of no return. Transferring to another unit either temporarily or permanently is another alternative. A job that’s more mechanical and less human service-oriented can sometimes give people just the respite they need to regain their balance and their empathy towards others.
Q: Is there anyway to prevent compassion fatigue?
A: Preventing compassion fatigue is really the key. It’s much easier to stop it from occurring in the first place than it is to repair things once it sets in. You have to continually practice good emotional health maintenance along the way and maintain some sort of balance in your life. There has to be a portion of your life inn which you need to take, rather than give. Beyond practicing fundamental self-care skills, you need to put yourself in situations in which you see the positives in life, for example, attending a field trip with your child where you’re truly enjoying the experience, or volunteering where you’re able to give and receive. Sometimes, you can’t prevent compassion fatigue from occurring. We see this a lot with individuals working in professions with a high degree of human interaction and human service. However, practicing some of these techniques can restore your ability to feel compassion for and sensitivity to the troubles and difficulties of others.
Q: If you’re in a health care profession, could you be a danger to your patients if you have compassion fatigue?
A: Maybe yes, if you took the scenario to its extreme; however, this isn’t what usually happens. What typically occurs is a numbing of feelings or a distancing and detachment from a patient and his family. It rarely results in a serious medical mistake, but rather prevents the individual from bonding and connecting with those under his care. It’s akin to being on auto-pilot in which those affected put up an interior wall to separate their feelings from the tasks they need to do.
Q: What if you’re caring for an elderly parent and develop these feelings?
A: You need to seek assistance from others - siblings, relatives, friends and neighbors - to give yourself a breather. You also might rotate duties with a sibling, for example. If you’re the one responsible for accompanying your parent to chemotherapy sessions - a highly charged and draining event - you might let your brother or sister do that task for a while while you pick up another.
Q: We’re all bombarded with bad news everyday just by listening to the news or reading the paper. Can this desensitize us as well and what can we do about it?
A: We live in a world in which the media constantly bombards us with images of poverty and violence, bringing us to a point where we almost shut down because it becomes too emotionally taxing to feel for others. One way to prevent this from happening is to refrain from watching the news or reading the paper for a while. This mild escapism can help prevent your heart strings from being constantly tugged by all the sad things taking place in the world.
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