Overcoming Burnout And Compassion Fatigue In Schools

This book examines the cumulative effects of working with high trauma populations as they pertain to education settings. This text incorporates current research, anecdotal stories, and workbook pages so that practitioners are properly informed on how to identify and employ protective practices when it comes to burnout and compassion fatigue. Educators rarely receive training that prepares them for working with children and youth who are the victims of neglect, abuse, poverty, and loss. Education professionals who are already overburdened with an overwhelming number of job-related tasks can find themselves depleted due to their care and concern for their most vulnerable students. As a result, educators experience the physical and emotional symptoms of burnout and compassion fatigue. Appropriate for both young and experienced educators, this important text provides a clear and concise approach to the topic of burnout and compassion fatigue that engages the reader in a journey of self-reflection, highlighting potential signs and symptoms of burnout, as well as examining how the school environment and individual characteristics might collide to put educators at risk. Most importantly, this book provides guidance and resources to assist educators in implementing both individual and organizational practices that promote long-term resilience and self-care. To be at their most effective, educators must be able to care for themselves while also caring for their students.

Overcoming Compassion Fatigue is a fresh workbook approach to effectively handle the inherent exhaustion, burnout and stress professionals naturally face when working with those in pain and distress. Written by two practicing clinicians experienced in compassion fatigue and CBT, this manual will equip you with practical tools to manage your work and minimize your risk of personal harm. Expertly weaved with personal experiences, assessment tools, proven interventions, and prevention strategies. You’ll take away: · Self-assessment measures to determine your level of risk · CBT skills to overcome distress · Worksheets and exercises to equip you to make powerful changes · Strategies to change your workplace · Practical, personalized self-care planning tools Reviews: "Martha and John have put together a practical, practitioner-friendly workbook that addresses compassion fatigue with understanding and caring. They offer evidence based clinical tools reflecting behavioral, cognitive as well as mindfulness exercises in addition to assessment strategies that can be used to facilitate resilience. I highly recommend this resource to ensure professional competency." -- Robert J. Berchick, PhD, ABPP, Board Certified in Cognitive Behavioral Psychology, Perelman School of Medicine, Academy of Cognitive Therapy Certified CBT Consultant "This is an excellent book that addresses an important and timely topic for anyone working in the helping profession. It is well written and engaging and provides assessment measures and helpful exercises that are invaluable to the reader. I highly recommend to anyone who is a care provider." -- Frank M. Dattilio, Ph.D., ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School "Overcoming Compassion Fatigue offers invaluable resources that will benefit all practitioners - rookies and veterans alike. This well-researched workbook is filled with practical self-assessment tools and concrete strategies for detection, intervention and prevention. Integrating CBT techniques provides a unique and very hands-on approach to managing compassion fatigue and related of caregiver." -- Fraçoise Mathieu, author of The Compassion Fatigue Workbook: Creative Tools for Transforming Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization

This book argues that the current structure of student affairs work is not sustainable, as it depends on the notion that employees are available to work non-stop without any outside responsibilities, that is, the Ideal Worker Norm. The field places inordinate burdens on staff to respond to the needs of students, often at the expense of their own families and well-being. Student affairs professionals can meet the needs of their students without being overworked. The problem, however, is that ideal worker norms pervade higher education and student affairs work, thus providing little incentive for institutions to change. The authors in this book use ideal worker norms in conjunction with other theories to interrogate the impact on student affairs staff across functional areas, institutional types, career stage, and identity groups. The book is divided into three sections; chapters in the first section of the book examine various facets of the structure of work in student affairs, including the impact of institutional type and different functional areas on employees’ work-lives. Chapters in the second section examine the personal toll that working in student affairs can take, including emotional labor’s impact on well-being. The final section of the book narrows the focus to explore how different identity groups, including mothers, fathers, and people of color, navigate work/life issues. Challenging ideal worker norms, all chapters offer implications for practice for both individuals and institutions.

Globally, and within the United States, we continue to progress toward a more diverse and inclusive culture. This fact is perhaps reflected nowhere better than in the public school system in the United States, where, by 2029 (NCES, 2020), non-white students will outnumber white students in classrooms. The challenges that the current system of education confronts in ensuring equitable access and equal achievement are also well-documented (Darling-Hammond, 2015). A key component in the re-shaping and development of a more equitable and inclusive system are the pre-service teachers enrolled in our college and university teacher preparation programs across the country. As we prepare for the diverse classrooms of the future, we need to prepare the teachers of the future to not only be able to teach all students but to also have the cultural competencies to ensure the same access and opportunities are provided to all students. It has been well documented (Cunningham, 2015; Lupi & Turner, 2013) that international education experiences, or international field experiences, have a positive effect on both the professional development and cultural competencies of pre-service teachers. Across a wide range of performance outcomes, pre-service teachers with international field experiences are better equipped to enter the field (DeVillar & Jiang, 2012) and may even persist longer in the profession (Egeland, 2016). However, not all international experiences provide the same positive outcomes. In this book, we will explore the importance of developing culturally competent educators in the United States education system, the research that supports the benefits of international education experiences, and how to develop effective international education experiences that will prepare pre-service teachers for the classrooms of the next decade and beyond.

The target audience is education. The age range spans from new teachers in their twenties to veteran teachers. Teachers are found in every geographical region of the world. What they don’t realize, is that through policies, procedures, technology upgrades, parental and administrative as well as government expectations, their psychological well-being is slowly being depleted. The erosion of their compassion and empathy over time leads to anxiety, stress, depression, and burnout which are the themes of this book This depletion can result in qualified, skilled individuals leaving the profession early; others, to seek different career opportunities, or stay in the system just “going with the flow”; potentially eroding their personal values, belief system and principles. The key outcomes from this book are three-fold: first, an understanding of what compassion fatigue (CF) or Occupational Stress Injury (OSI) is and how it can impact an educator. Second, that the causes are identifiable, and that steps can be taken to ward it off. And, finally, for the reader to understand that there is hope and recovery. The main objective of the book is to make educators aware of CF and OSI. CF and OSI in educators can be a slow gradual process where teachers may not even realize the effects until something uncharacteristic occurs because he/she has “just snapped”. Upon recognizing CF/OSI in their life and/or career, readers are encouraged to contact the author at the supplied email address ([email protected]) to share anonymous events, stories and/or occurrences of how, when and why CF/OSI impacted their professional and personal life. These would then be used to. supplement another book, “Tales from the trenches”. The book is a supplement of my counselling, therapist and educational consulting business; Sutter and Associates.

Now, more than ever, in a world of stress, disadvantage and unpredictability, schools struggle to manage the confronting needs of some of our most disadvantaged and vulnerable learners. Increasing numbers of children exhibit chronic and challenging behaviour due to their prior or current exposure to complex trauma. This type of trauma stems from repeated interpersonal harm done to children, including physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, significant neglect, and the experience of family or other relational violence. Complex trauma is also referred to as ‘Developmental Trauma’, ‘Type II Trauma’, ‘Big T Trauma’, and ‘Betrayal Trauma’. It disrupts necessary attachments and is often directed at infants and children by the very people they depend on for love, nurture, and protection. Complex childhood trauma can impact the neural development of children, and if not resolved, this impact can extend into adulthood and influence the future caregiving styles and behaviours of victims. Research has shown us that these learners require a ‘trauma-aware’ response. Behaviour management techniques that may work for most learners often fail when used with trauma-impacted children. This book assists educators from an individual and system perspective in developing trauma-aware education frameworks to enable learners and educators to avoid the devastating effects of complex trauma on mental health. It examines and discusses the impacts of complex and other trauma on learners and how trauma-aware education provides an informed approach to remedy these concerns. Topics covered include: • the impacts of complex trauma • the evidence-base for trauma-aware education • a paradigm shift in the way learner behaviours are ‘managed’ • effective strategies for a trauma-aware education response • working with learners who live with disability • a trauma-aware approach for early childhood education and care • maintaining well-being for educators • leadership of trauma-aware education in sites and systems.

This booklet presents articles that deal with identifying signs of stress and methods of reducing work-related stressors. An introductory article gives a summary of the causes, consequences, and cures of teacher stress and burnout. In articles on recognizing signs of stress, "Type A" and "Type B" personalities are examined, with implications for stressful behavior related to each type, and a case history of a teacher who was beaten by a student is given. Methods of overcoming job-related stress are suggested in eight articles: (1) "How Some Teachers Avoid Burnout"; (2) "The Nibble Method of Overcoming Stress"; (3) "Twenty Ways I Save Time"; (4) "How To Bring Forth The Relaxation Response"; (5) "How To Draw Vitality From Stress"; (6) "Six Steps to a Positive Addiction"; (7)"Positive Denial: The Case For Not Facing Reality"; and (8) "Conquering Common Stressors". A workshop guide is offered for reducing and preventing teacher burnout by establishing support groups, reducing stressors, changing perceptions of stressors, and improving coping abilities. Workshop roles of initiator, facilitator, and members are discussed. An annotated bibliography of twelve books about stress is included. (FG)

Doctors behaving badly, but well … Misconduct is a bad way of doing good. It showcases a doctor practicing what he preaches. Professional Misconduct keeps you far from doctors (if you practice it). It is bad for the doctor’s image, but good for your health. This cheeky misconduct prevents pain and lifestyle diseases. It doesn’t harm patients or destroy doctors. Misconduct looks fine on patients, but unprofessional when performed by doctors. Patients don’t always do what doctors say, they do what doctors do. This is where misconduct comes in. Professional Misconduct is about a doctor doing good, but unprofessionally.