Compassion Fatigue Resilience 3-Part Series; Part 1: Self-Regulation

Compassion Fatigue Resilience 3-Part Series; Part 1: Self-Regulation

Compassion fatigue includes elements of burnout (work demands that outpace psychological resources), secondary traumatic stress (vicarious traumatization), direct traumatic stress (the experience of fear when treating patients), and prior traumatic stress history (Figley et al., 2004). Its signs resemble those seen in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and include physiological hyper-arousal, anxiety, avoidance, social withdrawal, irritability, and persistent thoughts about difficult, “traumatic” clinical experiences. This three-part series discusses these effects and offers practices for self-regulation, recognizing and preventing this fatigue as well as self-care practices. The goal of this recorded session is to decrease burnout and compassion fatigue, as well as increase satisfaction and resilience. Part 1 focuses on the skill of Self-Regulation and teaches resilience techniques to help participants self-regulate their nervous systems.