Human Service Workers in Crisis: Burnout, Vicarious Traumatization, and Compassion Fatigue

Read chapter 16 titled “Human Service Workers in Crisis: Burnout, Vicarious Traumatization, and Compassion Fatigue” and at least three journal articles, websites, handouts, or books to incorporate knowledge of effective crisis worker characteristics and the constructs of counselor burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue.

Discuss the following issues in your paper:

Response prompt to also include for this paragraph: as the first child and first daughter; I have grown to learn that one of my first personal qualities would be my willingness to give. Generosity has been a positive thing and a negative one. Having siblings and immigrant parents molded me to become very patient with the time I have but that same breath generosity has cursed me to not lay out my boundaries immediately. I find myself in some sort of means serving someone even if it is cause me delay or my own time. As the oldest child, I am looked at for solutions, especially for the simple fact my parents are getting older and I am becoming older. As I take on more responsibilities due to this current trait, it burdens me too. (Please look for an article that speaks on burnout of a first child/first daughter). Include and cite from the textbook: General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)-overstimulation and excessive wear of target organs lead to stress-related dysfunction and diseases. If the stressor is persistent and there is a chronic drain on adaptive energy, eventually exhaustion of an organ will occur. In the case of organ exhaustion, I experience aggressive migraines.  

I feel like this could potentially impede my effectiveness as a crisis worker because I would have to teach myself boundaries even though I know I would like to assist. The fact there is a crisis does not mean immediate resolution. I have to know my limit so I am not overworking my organ (brain) to gain migraine. This would enable me to be more available if those boundaries are set. 

In order to reduce the risk of burnout, I believe that I have to leave work at work. As a therapist in training, how can I encourage my client to take time to assess their thoughts and feeling but meanwhile I do not even utilize those same practices for myself? We encourage self-care and the ability to do for self to create what the individual deems as wellness but if I am not taking the same means how am I successfully being there for another? (Please find and include a journal article here discussing therapist handling self-care/importance of self-care for therapist)

Boundaries: this reflects on my no is a no and will remain a no!

Show up for me through self-care/socializing: I have learned since even being in school, I have felt comfortable in not initiating hang out and when I do I am feeling a sense of guilt for not working. 

Funny enough even experiencing school through a global pandemic, the most I have felt compassion fatigue has been the past two years of my Master’s program. This looked like high irritability whether towards my parents, sisters, friends or my last recent relationship, withdrawal after being irritated, aches and pains, inability to keep concentration and increase in work absenteeism. 

In order to reduce the risk of burnout, I have learned to leave things where they are at and return to them when I feel refreshed. I have to learn to put aside that first-child mentality of doing everything and communicating when I can not do something within the now. I vacation! I will also plan a staycation in order to leave or create a new environment for me to feel refreshed and eliminate the sense of feeling overwhelmed. Once that time is set aside and done, I will return to it. 

Peer support 

Utilizing supervision

The paper should be written in FIRST-PERSON. You could expand more with the responses by searching for supportive journal articles but PLEASE included the prompt questions with the responses I have also included thoroughly for full points.