1. Identify Job-Related Stressors
2. Educate yourself on Counselor Fatigue Syndromes
3. Seek Supervision
4. Practice Healthy Coping Strategies
5. Participate in Professional Training Opportunities
6. Seek Support from Professional Peers
7. Set Professional Boundaries
8. Maintain your Professional Identity
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Friday
Client-induced Stress and Self-Induced Stress
Stressors for mental health professionals include client-induced stressors:
1) Clinical nature of the caseload
Research studies have shown that counselors have reported higher levels of stress when working with clients with severe depression, severe anxiety, suicidal ideation, or trauma.
2) Characteristics of clients
Counselors report higher levels of stress based on specific characteristics of their clients. These characteristics include aggressive and hostile behaviors, impulsive behaviors, or clients who are resistant to treatment.
Self-induced stress for clinicians includes:
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1) Clinical nature of the caseload
Research studies have shown that counselors have reported higher levels of stress when working with clients with severe depression, severe anxiety, suicidal ideation, or trauma.
2) Characteristics of clients
Counselors report higher levels of stress based on specific characteristics of their clients. These characteristics include aggressive and hostile behaviors, impulsive behaviors, or clients who are resistant to treatment.
Self-induced stress for clinicians includes:
- emotional depletion
- physical exhaustion
- self-doubt
- worrying about cases
- unhealthy lifestyle
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Sunday
Physical Wellness
Take time from your hectic schedule to nurture your physical wellness! A recent study at The Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois found that:
- An active lifestyle has been shown to improve cognitive and brain function
- Age-related mental decline can be reversed with regular exercise
Research studies have also shown that regular exercise can help improve your mood.
- First, exercise burns cortisol in the body which is a by-product of stress and can be damaging to organs.
- Secondly, exercise stimulates the release of endorphins which are the feel-good hormones in the pituitary gland.
Steps to improving your physical well-being may include:
- Regular check-ups with your doctor and dentist
- Routine sleep patterns (8 or 9 hours a night!)
- Eating well-balanced meals throughout the day
- Drinking water
- Minimizing caffeine, alcohol and sugar
- Practicing meditation or yoga
- Regular Exercise - walking, swimming, weight-lifting, etc...
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Tuesday
Recovery Process for Empathy Fatigue
Empathy Fatigue is a result of the cumulative effects of multiple client sessions where a counselor primarily uses empathy-focused interactions which can lead to a decrease in a counselor's ability to effectively cope with stress.
As the counselor becomes overwhelmed by continued stories of grief, loss or trauma, his ability to empathize with his clients decreases. The issues discussed in sessions do not have to be extremely stressful or traumatic and can range from minor to traumatic issues.
The recovery process for empathy fatigue begins with the awareness of acute or cumulative symptoms that lead to emotional, mental, physical, spiritual or occupational exhaustion. Supervision in either an individual, peer or group structure, along with self-care practices can be very beneficial in improving a counselor's physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
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