Preventing Compassion Fatigue and Burnout what employees need

Preventing Compassion Fatigue and Burnout what employees need to know Associated Employee Assistance Services 800 -540 -3758

Prevalence of Trauma • ≈ 90% of the overall population will be exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime • 40% of children and adolescents have experienced a traumatic event • 90% of adults having mental health issues have been exposed to one or more traumatic events

Prevalence of Trauma • 93% of adolescents in inpatient mental health settings reported a history of trauma and 32% had severe PTSD • 92% of incarcerated girls reported sexual, physical or severe emotional abuse in childhood

Prevalence of Stress • 75% of time lost at work is stress related • ≈ 1 million employees are absent from work/day due to stress-related disorders • ≥ 80% of industrial accidents are due to stress • Cost to US employers is $200 billion annually

Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) Trauma or extreme stress caused by learning about another person’s traumatic experience and experiencing trauma related distress as a result of the exposure

Your Range of Normal • • • Stress is normal Empathy is good Compassion fatigue may be inevitable Self care is not optional because Burnout is no fun…

“Going home? I don’t recall you mentioning anything about a ‘home’ in your interview. ”

Normal stress→High Stress→ CF→Burnout

Continuum of Employee Stress • Stress affects all of us: In ways we can see, and some we can’t • Unmanaged stress can lead to burnout

What is it? • Compassion Fatigue (CF): – Coined by Carla Johnson, RN, 1992 – Nurses worn down by hospital emergencies – Emotional residue from working with suffering people All Health. Care Employees are susceptible to developing Compassion Fatigue

How Does CF Apply to You? • • • One Ministry Our Promise Quality of Care Patient Satisfaction Culture Survey Retention of our best employees Personal Wellbeing Health Risk Assessment Health Care Reform Your Bottom Line!

Who Does CF Affect? People with High Empathy Which staff make the best connections with patients? Which staff are at greatest risk to develop CF?

Related Terms • Compassion Satisfaction: – Pleasure derived from work; helping others, positive colleagues, meaningful contributions, etc. • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) • Secondary Traumatic Stress: – The accumulation over several years of being exposed to the traumatic stories of the people we work with • Burnout: – Hopelessness; difficulty doing work effectively; low recovery rate – Burnout often affects work performance

Like a drop of dye in a cup of water • Some issues touch many areas • CF is this way–it can affect many aspects of the work place – Employee morale – Culture – Patient satisfaction – relationships

Traits of Compassion Fatigue and Burnout 1. Fatigue and exhaustion 2. Loss of humor 3. Moody/grumpy 4. Irritable 5. Lowered tolerance for frustration 6. Indifference 7. Reduced ability to feel sympathy/empathy 8. Disengaged/isolated 9. Problems in relationships 10. Difficulty in communication 11. Problems sleeping 12. Career dissatisfaction 13. Doesn’t take care of self 14. Anxious 15. Overly serious 16. Excessive: too much, too little 17. Loss of meaning and hope 18. Difficulty concentrating 19. Jumpy or easily startled 20. Emotional numbing 21. Intrusive images of another’s pain/trauma 22. Reduced sense of control 23. Low morale 24. Decreased motivation 25. Chronic overeating 26. Difficulty separating work/personal life 27. Difficulty setting boundaries 28. Decreased sense of competency 29. Alcohol/drug abuse 30. Somatic complaints Gary Yeast, 2011

The traits are the same… • Because CF is on a stress continuum, traits may go unnoticed for a time • The same traits that occur in stressful situations can appear with higher intensity and frequency with CF and Burnout • We can develop CF long before we realize that we have it

So I have it! Now what? • Once we notice that we have traits of CF, we need to deal with it • Unmanaged Stress and CF can lead to Burnout • CF is manageable, Burnout is another story…

“Same Old Story” Take Care of Yourself OMMMMMMM

Self Care on the Job…

Develop Your Own “Self Care Plan” find tools at EAP or on the website 1. Physical exercise (fresh air) 2. Adequate sleep and rest 3. A diet of health and moderation 4. Limit noise and violent stimulus 5. Balance career and personal life 6. Have a spiritual connection 7. Avoid stressful people/situations 8. Be flexible and adaptive 9. Seek enjoyment in life 10. Use relaxation techniques 11. Maintain ideal weight 12. Avoid nicotine/excessive caffeine 13. If you drink alcohol, use in moderation 14. Rely on mutually supportive relationships 15. Take breaks; have down time 16. Be happy being you 17. Be connected to others 18. Seek out comfortable surroundings 19. Give yourself time to recover 20. In high stress, take extra care Gary Yeast, 2011

Getting Help for Compassion Fatigue • Education – Learn about CF • Prevention – Develop good habits • Assessment – – Take the Survey! Use the Tools! • Intervention – Get help /manage CF Check out the EAP link on our Ministry web home page • Follow-up & Maintenance – Make this a priority

“That which is to give light must endure burning” -Viktor Frankl “As caregivers we give light to the people we serve. We are rewarded time and again, but we also burn a little. ” -Gary Yeast