SWRK 2001H Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Compassion Fatigue, Therapeutic Relationship, Hypoesthesia
28 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
SWRK2001H: Foundations of Social Work Practice 1
Wednesday, December 6th, 2017
Lecture 12 – Self-Care
Importance of Self-Care
Why might social workers need to practice self-care?
What happens if we don’t?
Burn out
Compassion fatigue
Vicarious trauma
Burn Out
-A more general term that can apply to many fields
-Exhaustion combined with a lack of faith in one's work
-Characterized by
oCynicism and critical mindset about your job
oLow motivation to go to work and carry out duties
oDisillusionment or lack of satisfaction with work
-Caused by:
oLack of control of work, unhealthy workplace environment
oUnrealistic expectations or monotonous, unstimulating work
oLack of work-life balance
Compassion Fatigue
-A kind of burn out that is particular to the "helping professions"
-Similar symptoms to burn out
-Feelings of disillusionment and bitterness towards service users
-Lack of faith that you are doing any good
-Desensitisation to SUs experiences and difficulties
-Rote, one-size-fits-all approach to SUs
Vicarious Trauma
-Repeated exposure to the stories and consequences of violence
-Compassion fatigue with PTSD-like symptoms
oPreoccupation with the memory/images, intrusive thoughts
oAvoidance of reminders of satiations you associate with the violence
oCognitive difficulties
oDisassociation
oNumbness and/or hypersensitivity
oSleep and appetite disturbances
oHopelessness/helplessness
oSomatic responses
-Sticks with you, hard to "leave at work"
Impact on Service Users
How does burn out/compassion fatigue/vicarious trauma impact our work with service users?
Self-Care How To
-Starts with the basics of a healthy lifestyle:
oRegular exercise
oSleep 7-8 hours a night
oEat nutritious, balanced food
oSustain positive social and family relationships
oAvoid unhealthy coping mechanisms
oAssertive communication
Mindfulness
-Mindfulness in your practice decreases likelihood of burnout
-Being "present" with the client improves the therapeutic relationship
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
A more general term that can apply to many fields. Exhaustion combined with a lack of faith in one"s work: cynicism and critical mindset about your job, low motivation to go to work and carry out duties, disillusionment or lack of satisfaction with work. Caused by: lack of control of work, unhealthy workplace environment, unrealistic expectations or monotonous, unstimulating work, lack of work-life balance. Feelings of disillusionment and bitterness towards service users. Lack of faith that you are doing any good. A kind of burn out that is particular to the "helping professions" Repeated exposure to the stories and consequences of violence. Compassion fatigue with ptsd-like symptoms: preoccupation with the memory/images, intrusive thoughts, avoidance of reminders of satiations you associate with the violence, cognitive difficulties, disassociation, numbness and/or hypersensitivity, sleep and appetite disturbances, hopelessness/helplessness, somatic responses. Sticks with you, hard to "leave at work"
