Compassion Fatigue and Self-care Resources for Crisis Counselors

Responding to disasters and other emergencies is important and often rewarding work. While serving communities as a crisis counselor, you may join disaster survivors on their journey toward greater resilience. However, you may also experience stress and distress together, which can lead to compassion fatigue. It is important to learn and use techniques throughout disaster response to stay healthy and effective as a crisis counselor.

Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue is a combination of burnout and secondary traumatic stress:

Burnout includes feelings of exhaustion, negative or cynical attitudes toward work, and a sense of not doing well or being effective in your work.
Secondary traumatic stress may happen when you hear about trauma others have experienced, especially from multiple people. Symptoms of secondary traumatic stress include avoiding things that remind you of the trauma you’ve heard about and or feeling very tense or on alert a lot of the time.

If you have a history of trauma or exposure to traumatic events during a disaster, you may be more likely to experience compassion fatigue.

Signs and Symptoms

Compassion fatigue signs and symptoms may include the following feelings and experiences:

Helplessness, being extremely tired, and feeling overwhelmed
Disorientation or confusion
Frustration, cynicism, anger, and irritability
Physical effects, such as shortness of breath, increased headaches, heart palpitations, trouble falling asleep, and muscle tension

If these signs and symptoms continue for more than 2 weeks or are affecting your quality of life, you should seek out professional help.

Self-care Strategies

As a crisis counselor, you support disaster survivors in building resilience, finding healthy coping methods, and practicing self-care. You can apply these same strategies to help avoid compassion fatigue and increase your likelihood of compassion satisfaction. Compassion satisfaction is the sense of fulfillment and other positive feelings crisis counselors have about the work they do, based on feelings of hope, strength, and resilience.

Strategies for Crisis Counselors

To help prevent compassion fatigue and foster compassion satisfaction, use these strategies:

Focus on the four core components of resilience: adequate sleep, healthy eating, regular physical activity, and active relaxation. Create a self-care plan that addresses each component.
Develop positive relationships with other crisis counselors. Celebrate successes and support each other during difficult times. Ask a coworker to be a self-care buddy, or plan to attend regular group check-ins.
Schedule time for relaxation, meditation, and rest. Practice breathing exercises and other stress management techniques (8 minutes, 18 seconds) regularly. Take breaks and time away from work and the disaster area as needed.
Stay in regular contact with friends and loved ones.
Stay informed on resources and supportive events for crisis counselors.

Strategies for Supervisors and Team Leads

To help crisis counselors prevent compassion fatigue and increase compassion satisfaction, supervisors and team leads can use these strategies:

Plan regular meetings with crisis counselors to allow them to share their experiences and concerns.
Provide regular updates on available trainings, peer support groups, and debriefing sessions for crisis counselor teams.
Encourage crisis counselors to take breaks and stay in touch with friends and loved ones.
Encourage crisis counselors to make connections and support each other through team meetings, buddy systems, and team events.
Provide materials and resources on self-care for crisis counselors throughout their service period. Follow up with them when the program is over to assess how they are and whether additional support is needed.

Related Resources

Last Updated: 10/17/2024