Beyond Burnout: The Risks of Being in the Helping Profession

Peer Assistance Services, Inc.
Beyond Burnout: Founded 1984 - Peer Assistance: a planned,
The Risks of Being in the Helping coordinated system of colleague helping
colleague to deal with a specific problem
Profession
Dedicated to providing quality, accessible
prevention and intervention services in
COVA Conference workplaces and communities, focusing on
October 29, 2008 substance abuse and related issues
Outreach and Education
Jennifer Place, MA, CEAP, CAC II, EA-CS
EA-
Peer Assistance Services, Inc
Peer Assistance Services, Inc. 2008

Objectives Terri Spahn Nelson, MSSW, LISW
For persons who work with trauma survivors, the
Introductions most important part of coping with the intensity of
the work is to acknowledge it will affect you. If
Risks you’ve been trained in crisis intervention and
you’
Psychological empathic, active listening skills, this work will affect
Physical you. If you really listen to what the client is telling
you, this work will affect you. Recognizing that it is
Increasing Self-Awareness
Self- “normal” to be affected by this type of work is the
normal”
Strategies for Self-Care
Self- most important coping skill that you can give to
yourself. You’re not alone. It’s okay to feel
You’ It’
outraged, horrified, shocked, saddened, or vulnerable.
Peer Assistance Services, Inc. 2008 Peer Assistance Services, Inc. 2008

Risks of Your Profession Compassion Fatigue
Compassion Fatigue Physical Threats of
The transformation in the inner experience of
Harm the helping professional that comes about as a
Burnout
Increased Stress result of empathetic engagement with victims’
victims’
PTSD
HBP trauma material.
Depression
CV Disease - Empathetic Strain
Anxiety Disorders
Weight Gain/Loss - Vicarious/Indirect Trauma
Behavioral Problems
Suicide/Death - Secondary Victimization
Relationship
Disruptions Substance Use Emotional Residue
Disorders

Burnout Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
The syndrome of emotional DSM Diagnosis
exhaustion, Persistent re-experience of a trauma that
re-
depersonalization, and evoked intense fear, helplessness or horror
reduced personal Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated
accomplishment, often with the trauma
experienced by workers in Persistent symptoms of increased arousal
high-stress jobs.
high- Symptoms extend past 1 month
Clinically significant distress or impairment

Psychological Risks Likely Contributors
Negative consequences of hearing about 1) Exposure to the stories (or images) of
others’ traumatic experiences
others’ trauma victims
May persist for months or years after 2) Your empathic sensitivity to their
working with trauma survivors suffering
3) Any unresolved emotional issues that
Can occur even if you LOVE your work relate (affectively or symbolically) to
Can be stronger if helper has a history of the suffering person.
personal trauma - Countertransference

Likely Contributors Physical Risks
4) You care for others more than yourself Physical safety
5) Your sense of responsibility to others The STRESS factor
has become out of balance
Substance Use Disorders
6) You feel you must “make it all better,”
better,”
Suicide
fix or solve all problems for your clients
7) You feel you have failed when you
can’t “make it all better,” fix or solve all
can’ better,”
problems for your clients

The Downside of Stress Signs of NOT Coping Well
• Headaches • Suppressed immune functioning
• Hypertension • Increase in stress hormones Changes in sleep habits Feeling like “everything is
• Stomach Physical
problems
• Cardiovascular disease (too much/little) hopeless”
hopeless”
• Death
• Exhaustion Changes in eating Difficulty concentrating,
habits distracted or “in a fog”
fog”
• Anxiety
• Frustration
Unable to shake off Unable to control anger,
Social Stressor Emotional
• Grouchy • Irritability feeling blue or down irritable over little things
• Impulsive • Excitable
• Critical/hostile
Increased use of Crying a lot or “shutting
• Complaining alcohol or other drugs down” feelings
down”
• Oversensitive • Poor concentration
• Isolative • Inattentive Feeling like “it’s just
it’ Fighting with family,
Cognitive
• Reasoning impaired not worth it”
it” friends and/or co-workers
co-
• Distractible

Increasing Self Awareness Is There an Upside?
What negative consequences have you
Job stress and burnout can motivate you
been experiencing?
to make changes to improve your
How will you recognize warning signs in personal and professional life
the future? Increased optimism
How can you help yourself? Increased resiliency
Create better boundaries for future


What You Should Do Take Responsibility
1. Accept and take responsibility for what Accept your
you are experiencing feelings
2. Create a plan (or improve your plan) for Decide to change
self-care what you are doing
self-
to help yourself
3. Create accountability for following
through with your plan May or may not be
as easy as pushing
a button

Change – Are You Ready? Create Your Plan
Change is HARD BE AGGRESSIVE, INTENTIONAL
Change is uncomfortable Don’t go skydiving without a
Don’
Change can be resisted by those around parachute
you Recruit help
Successful change happens in small Learn to recognize warning signs in
increments yourself and others
Change is HARD

Getting In Your Own Way Effective Coping Strategies
Are you getting in your own way when it
comes to self care?
Monitor yourselves to catch the following
words:
But
Can’t
Can’
Won’t
Won’
Never

Coping Strategies:
Less Effective Coping Strategies
What NOT to do
DON’T engage in coping strategies that
DON’
will perpetuate/intensify negative
symptoms down the road
Drinking alcohol, drugging
Excessive spending, gambling
Eating unhealthy foods
Isolating from others
Other

Substance Use Disorders Substance Abuse and Women
Women are 48% more likely to be prescribed a
An estimated 10% of the general population narcotic, anti-anxiety or potentially abusable
anti-
will develop an addictive disorder in their drug
lifetime Women who use sedatives, anti-anxiety, or
anti-
hypnotics are almost twice as likely to become
Higher stress jobs have likelihood higher than addicted
10% Women who drink:
“Oops Phenomenon”
Phenomenon” get drunk faster
become addicted more easily
Approximately 10% of individuals who need develop alcohol related diseases
treatment receive it more readily


Alcohol Advice
Healthy men up to age 65
No more than 4 drinks in a day
AND
No more than 14 drinks in a week

Women (and healthy men over age 65)
No more than 3 drinks in a day
AND
No more than 7 drinks in a week

Mental Illness Suicide
25% of working adults will have a mental 90% of completed suicides have mental
illness ad/or substance use disorder in any illness and/or substance use disorder
given year
2004 Data:
Men & women in jobs with high levels of
33% Alcohol
stress twice as likely to meet criteria for
17% Opiates
anxiety and depression
13% Cocaine/Amphetamine
8% Marijuana


Make Self-Care a Priority
Self- Creating Your Parachute
ASK YOURSELF: AT WORK
What is fun and/or enjoyable for you? Establish guidelines with your colleagues
How can you make your environment(s)
environment(s) Support others
more fun/enjoyable on a day to day Take BREAKS
basis? “Buddy-Check 9”
Buddy- 9”
How can you make your environment(s)
environment(s) EAP
more predictable?
Other

Creating Your Parachute Creating Your Parachute
WITH VICTIMS AT HOME
Be self-aware of your reactions to victims
self- Journaling
- Anger, sadness, frustration Healthy Relationships
Visualization Joyful activities/hobbies
- Bubble, One-way mirror
One- Sleep
Deep Breathing
Balanced Diet
Other
Don’t Watch/Read the News
Don’

Creating Your Parachute Build Your Resiliency
ADDITIONAL Optimism
Keep your day as predictable as possible - An active, empowering, constructive attitude that
creates conditions for success by focusing and
Volunteer or Teach acting on possibilities and opportunities.
Church/Community Activities - Stay strength-based with your others/yourself.
strength-
Mentor Hardiness
Part-time Job
Part- - Actively engage and believe that you can influence
Social Activism the course of events in your life and accept change
as a part of it.

Combating: Accountability Commit to Making a Change
MAKE A COMMITTMENT
What is one thing you are Life is not about living in the dark, but
going to change today? bringing light to it. If you give up on
How will you stay committed change, you give up on the light.
to that change? Now, why would you want to do that?
- James Downton, Jr., Ph.D.
Downton,
To whom will you be
accountable?

Resources
www.friedsocialworker.com
International Society for Traumatic Stress Thank You!!
Studies
www.compassionfatigue.org Jennifer Place
Victim Services Network Peer Assistance Services, Inc
American Psychological Association 303-369-0039 x 209
303- 369-
Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995. Trauma and the
Saakvitne, www.peerassist.org
Therapist jplace@peerassist.org

Peer Assistance Services, Inc. 2008

Beyond Burnout: The Risks of Being in the Helping Profession

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