Compassion fatigue

Compassion fatigue refers to profound emotional and physical exhaustion that can affect helping professionals over time; it has been described as an occupational hazard specific to clinical work-related severe emotional distress (Figley, 1995; 2002).

Compassion fatigue is defined as the reduced capacity to be empathetic or bear the suffering of clients (Cetrano et al., 2017). It is characterized by physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and symptoms of mental health problems and illnesses. It is related to work stress and regular exposure to the trauma and suffering of the people service providers work with.

Imagine this scenario

Philippe had always been an energetic and dedicated counsellor. Now, at age 38, he's tired, cynical and lonely. He's angry at the organization for forcing him to see more clients in less time, and annoyed with his clients for what he perceives to be their increasingly demanding natures. Although his relationships with his clients once thrived, they no longer seem to give him the same satisfaction. Even talking to his wife, who has always been a supportive partner, has not relieved his feelings of intense isolation (Pifferling & Gilley, 2000).

Service providers may experience physical, emotional and mental exhaustion from working in emotionally demanding and highly stressful situations. In addition, their commitment to clients may come with high personal expectations for their own performance (Este, 2010). In contrast, compassion satisfaction is a term used to describe the positive outcome form working with challenging clients. Compassion satisfaction includes the internal rewards for caring for and helping others (Cetrano et al, 2017). The same empathy that allows workers to experience deep satisfaction in their work may lead them to be more vulnerable to compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction seem to be negatively correlated: higher levels of compassion fatigue may overwhelm the service provider's sense of efficacy and prevent them from experiencing compassion satisfaction (Cetrano et al., 2017).

Warning signs