All of these can happen to people in the helping professions and all have slightly different meanings. I will attempt to address these issues for those who work in schools and have direct contact with students.
Compassion Satisfaction can be defined as feeling for someone in a manner that allows you to help & support without taking on their anguish as a solution or outcome. Transforming the Pain (Saakvitne & Pearlman, 1996) This is what many who work in schools do on a regular basis.
Compassion Fatigue is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the physical and mental exhaustion and emotional withdrawal experienced by those who care for sick or traumatized people over an extended period of time." "It is characterized by deep emotional and physical exhaustion and by a shift in the helper’s sense of hope and optimism about the future and the value of their work." (Dr Charles Figley, 1995)
Vicarious Trauma is when a helper is continuously exposed to other people’s traumatic experiences through hearing others’ stories. The helper does not have direct contact with the traumatic event but through the victim of a trauma and the empathetic relationship the helper experiences it second hand and may start to experience post traumatic stress symptoms similar to the person who experienced it.
Burnout is defined by Stress.org as "Cumulative process marked by emotional exhaustion and withdrawal associated with increased workload and institutional stress, NOT trauma-related." It could be just a result of "challenging" work.
Signs of Compassion Fatigue:
Cognitive - sluggishness or the inability to process
Emotional - anger, sadness, depressive symptoms
Behavioral – maladaptive avoidance (going to avoid that student/adult because they are hard to work with)
Spiritual – Change in worldview
Interpersonal – Strained relationships, self-isolation, cynicism
Physical – Head or stomach aches, lethargy,
Job performance – Missed meeting, tardies, avoiding certain students
Morale – Negativity towards workplace
Inability to stop thinking about work/students during personal time
(Joelle van Lent, Psy.D.)
Compassion fatigue depends on the helper's resilience. Some of us are better at it than others. Here are something that help build our resilience:
Stay attuned to needs, limits, emotions, listening to your body, listen to others, and practice mindfulness.
Find a balance of work, play and rest. Too much of one thing is not a balance
Connect to others, yourself, and something larger.
Be open to receiving validation and support.
Anything else a helper can do? YES!!
Be productive about venting. Lets face it, we go through a lot during our day and we really want to expel that feeling energy. This is natural. If we go into huge detail about everything we want to vent about, we tend to work ourselves up again. Now we are stuck in a loop. Instead try to just vent the headline or title. Work on the themes and responses without the minutia. Express what you need and be realistic.
Don’t blame. Blaming is easy but it is yet another way to vent and stay stuck in a loop. Look at this video about blame
Listen to others without trying to fix the problem. Another good video It’s not about the nail!
Other Do's and don'ts
Do:
Find someone to talk to.
Understand that the pain you feel is normal.
Start exercising and eating properly.
Get enough sleep.
Take some time off.
Develop interests outside of medicine.
Identify what's important to you.
LAUGH!
HAVE FUN!
PLAY!
Don't:
Blame others.
Look for a new job, buy a new car, get a divorce or have an affair.
Fall into the habit of complaining with your colleagues.
Hire a lawyer.
Work harder and longer.
Self-medicate.
Neglect your own needs and interests.
Here is self-tests to bring awareness to you. Don’t forget to seek help or advice after taking the survey.
Professional Quality of Life Survey
Resources:
Make an appointment with your primary care physician and/or seek therapeutic support
Secondary Traumatic Stress for Educators: Understanding and Mitigating the Effects