““Compassion Fatigue Compassion Fatigue ““

Preventing BurnoutPreventing Burnout

Issac L. Boose, LPC-S, LMFT, ICAADC

Director, Pine Grove Next Step

iboose@forrestgeneral.com

© 2013 Pine Grove

BurnoutBurnoutSymptoms, Causes and PreventionSymptoms, Causes and Prevention

• Burnout

• Symptoms of

Burnout

• Causes of Burnout

• Empathy

• Self-Care

• Stress Prevention

• Emotional Awareness

• Meditation

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BurnoutBurnout“the extinction of motivation or incentive, especially where one's devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.”

Freudenberger

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BurnoutBurnoutBurnout is related to stress and it is

most frequently linked to:

• Emotional exhaustion

• Depersonalization related to the work

environment

• A sense of diminishing personal accomplishment

Sorgaard, K.W., Ryan, P., Hill, R., Dawson, I., OSCAR group

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Classic Symptoms of Burnout

• Depleted Physical Energy

• Lowered Immunity to Illness

• Less Investment in Interpersonal Relationships

• Increasingly Pessimistic Outlook

• Increased Absenteeism and Inefficiency at Work

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What Causes Burnout?What Causes Burnout?

• Burnout has many causes but the three main categories are:

– Lifestyle Features

– Individual Personality Characteristics

– Job Structure

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Lifestyle Features• Too Much Work With Little Balance

• No Help or Supportive Resources

• Too Little Social Support

• No Time For Hobbies

• Too Little Sleep

• Too Little Time Off

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Individual Personality

Characteristics• Perfectionist Tendencies

• Pessimism

• Excitability

• Type “A” Personality

• Poor Fit For The Job

• Lack of Belief In What You Do

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Job Structure

• Unclear Requirements

• Impossible Requirements

• Lack of Personal Control

• Lack of Recognition

• Poor Leadership

• Big Consequences for Failure

• High-Stress Times with No “Down” Times

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““What Would U DoWhat Would U Do””

• Blurry Images

• Difficult to hear?

• Rap Music?

• Profanity

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““What Would U DoWhat Would U Do””

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Working With Individuals In CrisisWorking With Individuals In Crisis

• Physical Illness

• Mental Illness

• Addictions

• Physical Abuse

• Sexual Abuse

• Divorce

• Grief

• Legal Problems

• Homelessness

• Natural Disaster

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EmpathyEmpathy

• Virtually all theories of counseling have viewed counselor empathic ability as an important if not essential condition for successful counseling.

Peabody and Gelso 1982

• Empathy helps counselors understand the client's experience, but at the same time, a counselor may experience the emotional pain of multiple traumatized clients.

Miville 2006

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STAR TREK STAR TREK ““THE EMPATHTHE EMPATH””

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The Path To TranquilityThe Path To Tranquility

In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel ‘burn-out’ setting in, if

you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and

restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.

Dalai Lama

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Unclear Requirements

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Impossible Requirements

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Lack of Personal Control

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Lack of Recognition

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Poor Leadership

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Big Consequences for Failure

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• High-Stress Times with No “Down” Times

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SelfSelf--Care OJTCare OJT• Can these changes be made

• How realistic is all of this

• Will I have time to do this

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Other SelfOther Self--Care PracticesCare Practices

Meditation/Relaxing Find Fun Distractions

Get Enough Sleep Maintain A Spiritual Practice

Physical Activity Get Help If You Need It

Eat Well Setting Boundaries

Find Hobbies Emotional Awareness

Maintain Social Support

Emotional AwarenessEmotional Awareness

\

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Something For The Humans Something For The Humans

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Emotional AwarenessEmotional Awareness

• Becoming aware moment by moment

– Challenging, difficult, unpleasant, rewarding

– A process

• Alternative to becoming aware

– Continue masking feeling

– Emerges in unexpected ways - behavior, words,

perceptions, consequences

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Emotional AwarenessEmotional Awareness

• People think they experience emotions – Powerful emotional currents erupt

– Disturbing routines devoted to activities, accomplishments or survival.

– Angry – rage flows like a river

– Grieving – sorrow experienced daily

• Your emotions are your friends– Support

– Focus attention on what you need to know

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Emotional AwarenessEmotional Awareness

• Emotions – currents of

energy

• Walking processing

system

• We process air and food

• We process emotions

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• Emotions as a 24 hour-a-day news program

– Correct, appropriate, and timely

– Anger, fear, rage, jealousy, despair,

vengefulness

– Calls keep coming

– Emotions as obstacles or unwanted experiences

– Ignored emotions is ignored information

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SamsaraSamsara

Our conditioned existence in

the perpetual cycle of habitual

tendenciesDalai Lama

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InsanityInsanity

Doing the same thing over and

over hoping for a different

result

AA

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InsanityInsanity

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Emotional AwarenessEmotional Awareness

• Your emotions are a song

• Feelings are not good, bad, right or wrong

• Feelings do not last forever

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The Earth SchoolThe Earth School

• Biggest classroom you have ever seen

• Special learning environment

• Every painful emotion is a class– Anger, jealousy

– Not every class on anger/jealousy is the same

– Emotionally withdrawn when angry

– Bossy and loud when you are angry

– Every healthy emotion is also a class – appreciation, gratitude, contentment and joy

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The Earth SchoolThe Earth School

• Graduate from a class

• The times, places, people, and circumstances change

• You cannot change people

• School is always in session

• You cannot fail this school

• Your task is to change yourself, your response

• Choose how quickly or slowly

Meditation

Variety, Techniques and Practice

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What is Meditation?

• Meditation is the process of getting to know your mind.

• Meditation is the state of non-distraction or when you are fully present.

• It is the process of coming to know one’s own mind.

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Relaxation and Stress ManagementRelaxation and Stress Management

Meditation can enhance valued caregiver qualities such as

empathy, sensitivity, emotional stability, and psychological

maturity while reducing distress and burnout.Roger Walsh

Counseling students who found value and importance in self-care

activities like yoga and meditation reported feeling more mindful

and experiencing overall growth as wellness

Richards, Campenni, Muse-Burke

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Variety

• Visualization

• Affirmations

• Relaxation

• Breathing

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Visualization

A visualization meditation is a very simple

technique for quickly entering into a relaxed and calm state

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Affirmations

Every thought we think and every word we say is an affirmation.

Louise

Hay

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Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique

that involves tensing specific muscle groups

and then relaxing them to create awareness

of tension and relaxation.

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Breathing

Sitting quietly and focusing on your breath by counting your breaths or simply being aware of your breathing.

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Techniques

• Affirmations

• Relaxation

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Affirmations

TÄÄ |á jxÄÄ

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Relaxation

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Miville, M. L, Carlozzi, A. F., Gushue, G. V., Schara, S. L., Ueda, M. (2006). Mental

health counselor qualities for a diverse clientele: linking empathy, universal-

diverse orientation, and emotional intelligence. Journal of Mental Health

Counseling, v28, Issue: 2, p151-165.

Peabody, S. A. & Gelso, C. J. (1982). Countertransference and Empathy: The

ComplexRelationship Between Two Divergent Concepts in Counseling. Journal

of Counseling Psychology, v29 n3 p240-245.

Richards, K.C., Campenni, C.E., Muse-Burk, J.L., (2010). Self-care and well-being in

mental health professionals: the mediating effects of self-awareness and

mindfulness. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, v32 n3 247-264.

Scott, E. Stress and Burnout: Burnout Symptoms and Causes. Retrieved March 4,

2001, from http://stress.about.com/od/burnout/a/life_stress.htm

SourcesSources

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Walsh, R. (2011). Lifestyle and mental health. American Psychologist, v66, n7 p579-

592.

Zukav, G. & Francis, L. (2001). The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness. New

York: Fireside Press

Zukav, G. & Francis, L. (2003). The Mind of the Soul: Responsible Choice. New York:

Free Press

SourcesSources

© 2013 Pine Grove

Issac L. Boose, LPCIssac L. Boose, LPCIssac L. Boose, LPCIssac L. Boose, LPC----S, LMFT, ICAADCS, LMFT, ICAADCS, LMFT, ICAADCS, LMFT, ICAADC

Director, Pine Grove Next StepDirector, Pine Grove Next StepDirector, Pine Grove Next StepDirector, Pine Grove Next Step

iboose@forrestgeneral.com