When Helping Hurts: Understanding the Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress and Compassion Fatigue – Sharise Nance

Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), also referred to as Compassion Fatigue is defined as the indirect exposure to difficult, disturbing, and/or traumatic images and stories of the suffering of others. Now, the fight against the global health pandemics plaguing the world is amplifying all the factors that lead to compassion fatigue. These pandemics demand an increased need for frontline and direct response workers to fulfil the medical, mental, and social health needs of the families and communities impacted. The compassion many of us feel for those we help can affect us in both positive and negative ways. Physical and emotional exhaustion from doing this heart work can affect our ability to have empathy for our clients, colleagues, and loved ones. Repeated exposure to difficult content can have a negative impact on the functioning and overall mental health of helping professionals. When Helping Hurts: Understanding the Impact of Secondary Traumatic Stress training is an overview designed to bring awareness to the systematic impact of STS, offer a safe space for helping and healthcare professionals to learn strategies for staying present with the suffering of clients, and to assist our front-line workers in serving from a full well of compassion rejuvenation.

In the training:

1. The Impact of Compassion Fatigue on Professionals, Caregivers, Population Served and the Workplace: Learn the History of Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Trauma, Vicarious Trauma, Burnout and the 3 Contributing Factors to Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction

2. Assessing and Reducing Your Compassion Stress Risk: Learn the Symptomology Compassion Fatigue, Use Assessment Tools to Identify Risks and Protective Factors and Review Personal and Professional History Timeline

3. Absorb and Detox: Learn the Nervous System’s Role in Compassion Fatigue and how to use In the Moment Recovery Strategies while Empathizing with Traumatized Clients.

4. Combat the Common Compassion Fatigue Cold: Learn Strategies to De-Stress, Manage Intense Emotions and Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

5. Workplace Wellness: Learn How to Increase Morale and Improve Retention

Recorded on 17th February 2022

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify the signs and contributing factors to compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress/compassion fatigue and (zoom) burn-out.
Identify and implement the parallel process of healthy boundary setting and self-advocacy from staff to student, practitioner to client or caregiver to loved one.
Identify and implement strategies for managing themselves in highly emotional charged interactions with clients and/or loved ones.
Evaluate and balance experiences as a helper and as a person, ensuring career does not alter their world view in a negative manner.
Incorporate Trauma informed practices (Cognitive Processing, Grounding, Deep Breathing/Relaxation and Mindfulness exercises) in their daily regimen.
Find renewal in their work

About the Speaker

Sharise Nance discovered her life’s purpose many years ago. Having been a shy child, she wanted to help others find their voice and to advocate for themselves. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Psychology and her Master’s Degree in Social Work. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Compassion Fatigue Specialist, Adjunct Professor, Award Winning Entrepreneur, and Author. Sharise is able to live in her purpose every day, through her work with her private practice, Hand in Hand Counseling. Hand in Hand Counseling’s mission is to promote hope, health and healing to individuals and families dealing with generational and situational obstacles. Sharise also dedicates her efforts to Vitamin C Healing, an organization that she founded, which was designed to promote life balance, satisfaction, and fulfilment among those throughout the helping profession and beyond.

Known as the Compassion Fatigue Lady, she has extensive experience helping professionals, caregivers, entrepreneurs, women, parents, and adolescents across the globe. She strives to equip individuals with tools to prevent compassion fatigue and burnout in order to live happy, fulfilled lives, and careers.

In addition to offering resources such as books, live workshops, and online courses, Vitamin C Healing hosts its annual S.W.A.G: Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness awards ceremony for National Social Work Month in March. The most recent sold-out virtual event honored the “heart work” of 21 local social workers in the Greater Pittsburgh area, who often go unappreciated and unrecognized. With her depth of experience, from nearly two decades working with a diverse population of people from all walks of life, Sharise is eager to share all that she’s learned. Sharise resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband, William Nance.

CPD/CE

CPD & CE credits available: 6

How do I receive these credits?

The participant must pass the multiple-choice test with a minimum score of 80%. There is a maximum of three attempts to achieve this.

The post-test is included in the price of the training.

Does my regulatory body accept the credits?

The CPD & CE credits awarded can be used towards your declaration to any governing regulatory body in your state or country, provided the content is relevant to your discipline.

Our trainings are accredited by:

– The CPD Group, London
– Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association
– Australian Counselling Association