Fall 2024 SOWK 581 Week 14 - Empathetic Strain

Slide 1
Heart-shaped design with the text 'from the heart' above floral elements. Presentation slide for Week 14 lecture video titled 'Empathetic Strain' by Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., at Heritage University.

Fall 2024 SOWK 581 Week 14 - Empathetic Strain

title: Fall 2024 SOWK 581 Week 14 - Empathetic Strain date: 2024-11-23 12:04:00 location: Heritage University tags:

  • Heritage University
  • MSW Program
  • SOWK 581

presentation_video: Fall 2024 SOWK 581 (0) - Week 14 - Empathy-Based Strain

description: >

Week 14 is an asynchronous week. The content is focused on trauma theory. Understanding trauma and its impact, as well as learning about trauma-focused treatment models, is important. This can help lay the groundwork for supporting clients with adverse events in their history.

Learning Objectives

  • Be able to define trauma and understand some of the types of trauma
  • Develop an overview understanding of diagnoses that trauma- and stressor-related
  • To be able to articulate what trauma-focused treatment looks like
Slide 2
Flowchart depicting a model of empathy-based stress. Arrows connect 'Contextual Factors' and 'Individual Factors' to 'Secondhand Trauma & Empathetic Engagement,' then to 'Empathy-Based Strain,' leading to 'Adverse Occupational Health Outcomes' and 'Negative Work Affect, Behaviors, & Cognitions.' Title: 'MODEL OF EMPATHY-BASED STRESS PROCESS (Rauvola et al., 2019).'

Model of Empathy-Based Stress Process

Secondhand trauma and empathetic engagement and the impact they have on us the the empathy-based strain they put onto a clinician are influenced by:

  • Individual factors: consider practitioner coping, personality, sociodeomgraphic status, etc.
  • Contextual factors: consider frequency, level of support, etc.

Depending on these contextual and individual factors practioniers can develop different levels of empathy-based strain. This can look like:

i.e., compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, vicarious traumatization

Empathy-based strain has…

  • adverse workplace outcomes: burnout, depression, anxiety, impacted health, etc.
  • negative impact on work: performance, turnover, satisfaction
Slide 3
The slide features text defining 'Burnout' as chronic workplace stress from workload or systemic issues, including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced sense of personal accomplishment, and various types of exhaustion.

Burnout

Burnout is chronic workplace stress from workload or systemic issues.

  • People who experience burnout have emotional exhaustion
  • Can have trouble engage in empathy and experience depersonalization
  • Lose their sense of personal accomplishment
  • And be exhasuted across contexts
Slide 4
Table categorizing terms related to trauma: 'Empathy-based stress,' 'Vicarious traumatization,' 'Secondary traumatic stress,' and 'Compassion fatigue.' Each term includes definitions, symptoms, and alternate terms. References Ruvolo et al., 2019.

Empathy Based Stress, Vicarious Traumatization, Secondary Traumatic-Stress, and Compassion Fatigue

Construct definitions, symptoms, and related terminology (Rauvola et al., 2019)

Construct Definition Symptoms Alternate & related terms
Empathy-based stress Experience of adverse psychological and/or physical reactions to trauma exposure at work, resulting from empathic engagement following trauma exposure Symptoms vary, depending on the specific manifestation of strain (i.e., vicarious traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, other health outcomes) “Risks and hazards” of caring work
Vicarious traumatization Transformation of the “inner experience” of trauma-exposed individuals (McCann and Pearlman 1990; Pearlman and Saakvitne 1995) Symptoms include worldview shifts, cognitive schema disruptions Vicarious trauma; vicarious posttraumatic growth, vicarious resilience
Secondary traumatic stress Stress reaction induced following exposure to traumatic material; PTSD parallel (Figley 1995) Symptoms similar to PTSD, but from secondary exposure Secondary traumatization, secondary traumatic stress disorder
Compassion fatigue Acute, affective phenomenon engendering high levels of stress after trauma exposure (Figley 1995) Symptoms parallel original trauma victim’s (e.g., avoidance, hyperarousal, numbing, sleep disturbances) Compassion stress; compassion satisfaction
Slide 5
Yellow slide displays 'REDUCING EMPATHETIC STRAIN' with four bullet points: 'Development of personal self-care practices,' 'Considering our professional practices,' 'Engage in organizational support,' and 'Get direct support.'

Reducing Empathetic Strain

We can think about reducing some of this empathetic strain through development of personal self-care practices, considering out professional practices, engaging in organizational supports, and when needed getting direct support

  • Development of personal self-care practices: developing self-awareness, implementing boundries, mindefulness, physical activites, hobbies, etc.
  • Considering our professional practice: setting realistic expectations, using rational detatment,, increasing our professional skills,
  • Engaging in organizational support: supervision and consultation, taking breaks, EAP
  • Getting direct support:
Slide 6
Text slide presents references with a header. 1. Rauvola et al. (2019). 'Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Vicarious Traumatization.' *Occupational Health Science, 3*(3), 297-336. [DOI: 10.1007/s41542-019-00045-1] 2. Cummings et al. (2018). 'Compassion satisfaction to combat work-related burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress.' *Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36*(9-10), NP5304-NP5319. [DOI: 10.1177/0886260518799502]

Reference

Cummings, C., Singer, J., Hisaka, R., & Benuto, L. T. (2018). Compassion satisfaction to combat work-related burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(9-10), NP5304-NP5319. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518799502

Rauvola, R. S., Vega, D. M., & Lavigne, K. N. (2019). Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Vicarious Traumatization: a Qualitative Review and Research Agenda. Occupational Health Science, 3(3), 297-336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41542-019-00045-1