Post-Graduate Training and Professional Development: Exploring the Nexus Between Self Compassion and Compassion Fatigue Among Mental Health Clinicians Working With Trauma Survivors

Mental health clinicians who work with clients who have experienced severe trauma are at greater risk of developing compassion fatigue. Limited prior research investigated the relationship between self-compassion and compassion fatigue. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to assess the relationships of self-compassion and duration of professional service to compassion fatigue among licensed mental health clinicians who worked with clients that have experienced trauma in southern California. Two research questions asked whether self-compassion and duration of professional service were significantly related to compassion fatigue. The researcher collected primary data for the variables of interest via an online survey using two validated instruments, SCS-SF and ProQOL-Version 5. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of (n = 67) licensed mental health clinicians who resided in southern California. The results of non-parametric Kendall’s tau-b correlations revealed a significant inverse correlation between self-compassion and compassion fatigue, τb = -0.273, p = .002. The correlation between duration of professional service and compassion fatigue was nonsignificant, τb = -0.104, p = .299. These results are vital and relevant to the field as they justify further research, training and professional development in this area, leading to the development of clinical interventions that are needed to mitigate compassion fatigue symptoms among this population.

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Emotional demands, compassion and mental health in social workers

Occupational Medicine ◽

10.1093/occmed/kqz144 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (2) ◽

pp. 89-94

Author(s):

G Kinman ◽

L Grant

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Workers ◽

Compassion Fatigue ◽

Social Care ◽

Compassion Satisfaction ◽

Well Being ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Health And Social Care ◽

Emotional Demands

Abstract Background Compassion, described as the act of providing care based on empathy, dignity and respect, is intrinsic to effective health and social care. Although delivering compassionate care has wide-ranging benefits for service users, more insight is needed into its effects on health and social care professionals. The emotional demands of ‘helping’ work can engender compassion fatigue that may impair well-being, whereas compassion satisfaction and feelings of compassion towards the self could be protective. Aims To examine the effects (direct and indirect) of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue and self-compassion on mental health in a cohort of social workers. Methods We used validated scales to measure emotional demands, compassion satisfaction and fatigue, and self-compassion and the General Health Questionnaire-12 to assess mental health. We tested the main and moderating effects of emotional demands and the three facets of compassion using hierarchical regression analysis. Results The study sample comprised 306 social workers (79% female). Participants who reported higher levels of compassion satisfaction and self-compassion tended to report better mental health, whereas compassion fatigue was a significant risk factor for well-being. The models explained 44–53% of the variance in mental health symptoms. We found some evidence that compassion satisfaction and self-compassion buffer the negative effects of emotional demand on mental health, contributing 2 and 3%, respectively, to the incremental variance. Conclusions Our findings suggest that evidence-based interventions are needed to reduce compassion fatigue and enhance compassion satisfaction and self-compassion in social care work. We consider ways to accomplish this using targeted interventions.

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Effectiveness of a professional development training program in increasing knowledge of mental health clinicians specializing in early psychosis

Early Intervention in Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/eip.12785 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1003-1010

Author(s):

Craig Macneil ◽

Frances Foster ◽

Amanda Nicoll ◽

Richard Monfries ◽

Lucas Coulson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Professional Development ◽

Training Program ◽

Early Psychosis ◽

Mental Health Clinicians ◽

Professional Development Training ◽

Increasing Knowledge

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Evaluation of a professional development training programme for mental health clinicians specializing in early psychosis

Early Intervention in Psychiatry ◽

10.1111/eip.12424 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 483-490

Author(s):

Craig Macneil ◽

Frances Foster ◽

Amanda Nicoll ◽

Helen Osman ◽

Richard Monfries ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Professional Development ◽

Training Programme ◽

Early Psychosis ◽

Mental Health Clinicians ◽

Professional Development Training

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A Psychoeducational Group Intervention for Nurses: Rationale, Theoretical Framework, and Development

Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association ◽

10.1177/10783903211001116 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 107839032110011

Author(s):

Amanda K. Bailey ◽

Amanda T. Sawyer ◽

Patricia Stearnes Robinson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Compassion Fatigue ◽

Group Intervention ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

High Stress ◽

Well Being ◽

Theoretical Framework ◽

Psychoeducational Group ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Health And Well Being

OBJECTIVE Nursing is a demanding profession with constant stressors, which makes nurses vulnerable to the detrimental effects of high stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. There is a need for a multidimensional group intervention facilitated by a licensed mental health professional to improve mental health and well-being in nurses. An intervention called RISE, which is an acronym for resilience, insight, self-compassion, and empowerment, was developed to promote self-care, protect against burnout, and improve indicators of well-being among nurses. We explain the rationale, theoretical framework, and development of RISE. METHODS RISE is based on an integrative theoretical framework of mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. It consists of eight psychoeducational group sessions with topics related to the four RISE themes of resilience, insight, self-compassion, and empowerment. RESULTS RISE is a contribution to the literature on well-being interventions for nurses. It will further the understanding of effective interventions to mediate the detrimental effects of stress and burnout in nursing and to improve the mental health and well-being of nurses amid the complex interplay of factors at the individual, unit, and organizational levels. CONCLUSIONS As an approach that combines education with therapeutic process and support to improve coping and well-being inside and outside of the workplace, RISE addresses the underlying causes and effects of high stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

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