Helping Professionals (Physicans, Therapists, Nurses, Educators etc) 

HELPING PROFESSIONALS 

Burnout, Compassion Fatigue,  & Vicarious Trauma

• Burnout:  has been described as a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by a depleted ability to cope with one’s everyday environment and the stress and frustrations within your workplace.
• Compassion Fatigue is stress resulting from exposure to helping clients in emotional distress and with trauma.
• Vicarious Trauma: Therapists and other helpers often hear stories of traumatic experiences in the course of their work. At times, hearing these stories may overwhelm them and lead them to experience, to a lesser extent, the same feelings faced by the trauma survivors in their care. Vicarious trauma typically involves a shift in the beliefs about the world view of the helper.

Who may be impacted? 

• Professionals regularly exposed to the traumatic experiences of the people they service, such as Healthcare Professionals, Emergency & Community Service Professionals such as Nurses, Teachers. Social Workers, Psychologists & Physicians are particularly susceptible to developing Compassion Fatigue.

How can Individual Therapy Help?

• Individual Therapy can assist helping professionals with a “Resetting” – a return to self and to meaning post burnout, post compassion fatigue, post vicarious trauma. Therapy may include Resiliency Skills such as developing mindfulness practices, self care practices, addressing unresolved personal issues, connecting with others and exploring other areas for skill development.