1.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Compassion fatigue (Figley, 1993), also called secondary traumatic stress disorder, refers to the emotional effects on the counselor of exposure to working with those who have experienced traumatic events. Many counselors fail to recognize the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, and they do not take preventive measures to avoid the physical and psychological problems that can result. This course will introduce students to key concepts related to secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, stress, and burnout, and will help them explore self-care as a way to prevent problems. Students will have the opportunity to assess their current level of resilience and to experience a several self-care activities that promote physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. Students will be introduced to the transtheoretical change model developed by Prochaska et al. (Prochaska, Norcross & DiClemente, 1995) that they will apply in developing a personal self-care plan. Although the primary focus of this course is on the individual counselor, some attention will also be given to organizational issues that can contribute to mental health workers’ role fatigue, as well as ways to address these larger systems issues.