{"id":1974,"date":"2012-04-10T15:59:04","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T19:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ccpa.scottbuckingham.ca\/blog\/?p=1974"},"modified":"2015-07-03T15:58:12","modified_gmt":"2015-07-03T19:58:12","slug":"the-only-way-of-getting-off-the-compassion-fatigue-rollercoaster-for-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ccpa-accp.ca\/fr\/the-only-way-of-getting-off-the-compassion-fatigue-rollercoaster-for-good\/","title":{"rendered":"The ONLY Way of Getting off the Compassion Fatigue Rollercoaster for Good!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first time I suffered from counsellor burnout, aka Compassion Fatigue, was at my first job at a residential treatment centre.\u00a0 I was young, fresh, idealistic and ready to dive into the rewarding work of helping others.\u00a0 After only about a year and a half, I was drinking regularly, smoking again after a hiatus of over a year and a half, and exercising compulsively (at least<\/em> an hour and a half a day).\u00a0 I was crying on my way home from work, and frustrated and ashamed of myself and my apparent lack of healthier \u201ccoping skills\u201d.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know what was going on \u2013 how come I was struggling so much?\u00a0 Why was I feeling the need to escape from my feelings so compulsively?\u00a0 Why was I so emotionally sensitive?\u00a0 What had happened to the old me?\u00a0 Despite my efforts at distracting myself, the cracks started to show \u2013 I have two distinct memories that helped me realize something was really wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 first one was during a massage, when the massage therapist placed her hands on my shoulders and asked, \u201cwhy are you carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? \u201c.\u00a0 This prompted a waterfall of tears.\u00a0 How did she know that was exactly how I was feeling?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The second was during a guided visualization by a yoga teacher during shavasana (when you lie still at the end of a yoga class).\u00a0 Once again, I began to cry uncontrollably.\u00a0 I knew something had to change.<\/p>\n

It became clear to me that as soon as I got into my body, and became aware of my internal world, the true state of my being was unescapable \u2013 I was overwhelmed, wounded, stressed and traumatized.\u00a0 In short, I was Compassion Fatigued.\u00a0\u00a0 Pen hovering over a contact renewal, my body \u201cjust said no\u201d, and I left the job to start afresh somewhere else.\u00a0 Without going into too much detail, the following 10 years consisted of a rollercoaster of emotional states for me, from energized, to numbed out, to bitter, to despairing, to rejuvenated.\u00a0 How was I ever to get off?\u00a0 Was I going to have to leave the profession entirely?\u00a0 Continue to take medical leaves every few years?\u00a0 What else would I do?\u00a0 Is there anything else that would give the deep satisfaction that I experienced when helping others?\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I have since come to realize is that it is possible to find sustainable compassion satisfaction as a helping professional.\u00a0\u00a0 But it requires self-awareness, vigilance, commitment to self-care, support of others and the ability to prioritize your own needs unapologetically (remember the oxygen mask analogy \u2013 always put yours on first before helping another with theirs).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

First and foremost, however (and hence the title of the blog) is self-awareness<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 Constant checking in, or mindfulness of your internal state<\/em><\/strong>, is paramount in managing the shifting needs of a counsellor\u2019s work.\u00a0\u00a0 Need to open up energetically to increase your empathy and understanding of your client\u2019s situation?\u00a0 Need to prepare yourself before meeting with a particularly angry or anxious client?\u00a0 Need to regulate your nervous system during the session as you adapt to changes in your client\u2019s energy?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are many different theories and approaches to managing the interplay of nervous systems and brain chemistries that play a part in the counselling process, though reviewing them is beyond the scope of this particular blog.\u00a0 The main point I am trying to make, and arguably the most fundamental piece of preventing Compassion Fatigue, is that only by monitoring yourself and addressing what you find accordingly<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0will you continue to find the energy to enjoy doing the work you do.\u00a0\u00a0 I will address how <\/em>you can do this and also what you do with what you find in the next blog.\u00a0\u00a0 For now, try to check in with yourself regularly \u2013 while in session, between sessions, at home, alone, with others; learning how to keep track of how we are really <\/em>doing is a fundamental step towards sustainability as a helper.\u00a0 Honour your own self and you allow others to do the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Helpful Resources:<\/span><\/p>\n

Rothschild, B. & Rand, M.L.\u00a0 (2006)\u00a0 Help for the Helper:\u00a0 The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma. <\/em>\u00a0New York:\u00a0 W.W. Norton & Company.<\/p>\n

Gabor, M. (2004)\u00a0 When the Body Says No:\u00a0 The Cost of Hidden Stress.<\/em>\u00a0 Toronto:\u00a0 Random House.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first time I suffered from counsellor burnout, aka Compassion Fatigue, was at my first job at a residential treatment centre.\u00a0 I was young, fresh, idealistic and ready to dive into the rewarding work of helping others.\u00a0 After only about a year and a half, I was drinking regularly, smoking again after a hiatus of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[111,589,590,591,592,593,324,594],"class_list":["post-1974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-selfcareforcounsellors","tag-burnout","tag-compassion-fatigue","tag-counsellor-experience-of-compassion-fatigue","tag-counsellor-self-awareness","tag-healing-from-compassion-fatigue","tag-helper-burnout","tag-mindfulness","tag-professional-burnout"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe ONLY Way of Getting off the Compassion Fatigue Rollercoaster for Good! 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