Below are examples of ways that agencies within Alameda County are supporting staff and providers who are dealing with Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Burnout.
- Reflective supervision, case conference, individual/group supervision
- Safety guidelines for clinicians
- Half the staff are part of a self care group where they identify weekly goals and check in with each other weekly regarding the goals
- Provide food at office, meetings, and regular basis
- Try to foster sense of community at office (picnics, personal check in times at meetings, celebrating birthdays)
- Permission to feel and validate staff capacity to feel
- Agency supports time off of work
- Keeping positive regard for each other
- Compassion fatigue workshop by Beverly Kyer
- Supporting self care and self awareness
- Agency mindful of how much growing and capacity for growth
- Allowing opportunities for staff to grow (reduction of hours, 1 week paid staff training, chance to supervise, ability to have private practice on side)
- Six staff per manager so managers can actually check in and keep pulse on morale
- Openly discuss feeling of hopelessness and helplessness
- Hired therapist for the therapist
- Allowing staff to participate in traditional healing ceremonies
- Yoga classes at agency
- Talking circles for staff after traumatizing events
- Message therapy provided
- Lunch hour line dancing
- Martial art (e.g. Tai Chi, Qigong)
- Annual offsite staff retreat
- Have outside mediator to come in and facilitate conversation between staff and HR
- Patio area and coffee machine
- Listening to staff ideas about how to do work, changes to make to agency
- Celebrating anniversaries at the agency
- Clear expectations about time off, billing, scope of work
- Honoring small successes in cases
- Discussing methods to avoid burnout
For additional information about Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue see also:
Vicarious Trauma (also called Secondary Traumatic Stress) is a term that describes the cumulative transformative effect on the helper in response to working with survivors of traumatic life events. The symptoms can appear much like those of post-traumatic stress disorder, but also encompass changes in frame of reference, identity, a sense of safety, ability to trust, self-esteem, intimacy, and a sense of control.
- Toolkit for First Responders and Victim Service Providers, The National Center for Victims of Crime is a partner in bringing evidence-informed tools to the field.
With the recent launch of the Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT), victim service organizations now have evidence-informed tools to address the impact of vicarious trauma on their staff and volunteers. - Secondary Trauma http://secondarytrauma.org/
- The Cost of Caring -Child Trauma Academy http://www.childtraumaacademy.com/cost_of_caring/index.html
- NCTSN: Vicarious Trauma Resources http://www.nctsn.org/resources/topics/secondary-traumatic-stress
- Vicarious Trauma: Helping Hurts: YouTube Video – Resilience Man! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-aAOLM5oSY
- Caring for Ourselves: A Therapist’s Guide to Personal and Professional Well Being by Ellen Baker apa.org/pubs/books/431687A.aspx
- Portraits of Professional CAREgivers: Their Passion, Their Pain. a documentary film. Website includes RESOURCES. http://caregiversfilm.com/
Compassion Fatigue
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.
- Recognizing Compassion Fatigue http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/symptoms.html
- Compassion Fatigue Awareness Campaign http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/compassionfatigue.html
- The Cost of Caring Child Trauma Academy http://www.childtraumaacademy.com/cost_of_caring/index.html
- Gift From Within -Info and Resources http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/articles-on-ptsd.html#comp
- Surviving Compassion Fatigue, Beverly Kyer http://www.beverlykyer.com/
- Trauma Stewardshiphttp://traumastewardship.com/
- Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project http://www.compassionfatigue.org