Compassion Fatigue: Caring for Ourselves while Caring for Others

Mission: Empowerment!

presents

Compassion Fatigue: Caring for Ourselves while Caring for Others with Dr. Gabor Mate

Compassion fatigue has been called “the common cold of the helping profession”; no one is immune and the prevalence is high. Some even say that the question is not if a helping professional will develop it, but when. The demands of the job, overwhelming caseloads, and witnessing suffering regularly are often cited as factors that contribute to compassion fatigue – a chronic state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.

Since March 2020, these risk factors have increased exponentially. Helpers have supported their clients and patients through a global pandemic, economic instability, racial injustice, political divide and ongoing uncertainty – all while dealing with many of the same circumstances, uncertainty, stressors, losses, and worries themselves. Many are feeling the repercussions, reporting that they are overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unsure if they will be able to continue to meet the constant demands.

While it’s undeniable that circumstances play a role in compassion fatigue and it’s understandable that helpers are feeling exhausted, Dr. Gabor Maté states that there is a deeper source of compassion fatigue that is often overlooked. According to him, the term “compassion fatigue” is not exactly accurate as the fatigue doesn’t just come from feeling, expressing, or manifesting compassion. Instead, he asserts that the deeper source is to be found in the personal history of the individual and his or her relationship to the work, not merely in the nature of the work itself. Once we understand this, we can more effectively address it.

In this 3-hour interactive workshop, based on the book, When the Body Says No, Dr. Maté will present this different view of the condition known as compassion fatigue.  He will also teach practices to prevent it, and to restore our energies if we have been affected by it.​

To learn more about the workshop and Dr. Gabor Mate, please click here.