The Importance of Managing Compassion Fatigue within Efforts to Support System Involved Youth

Waynette Brock and Melissa Wallace

Training Description

Identifying and understanding compassion fatigue, which is known as a “hazard of the trade,” is important to support attainment and maintenance of wellness. Anyone who supports system-involved youth and families are vulnerable to this hazard. Through this experiential training, participants will explore their own experiences with compassion fatigue, learn ways to build resilience, and gain strategies to effectively prevent or manage compassion fatigue. We will discuss strategies for reducing risk of compassion fatigue and identify tools, techniques and ways to prevent compassion fatigue to improve our efforts to support system involved youth and their families. Through lecture and breakout group discussions, participants will identify compassion fatigue and create action plans to counteract its effects to improve outcomes for system involved youth and families.

Learning Objectives

· Participants will be able to explain compassion fatigue and identify at least 2 risk factors for developing compassion fatigue.

· Participants will be able to identify three different ways in which boundaries add to healthy relationships and reduce the likelihood of compassion fatigue.

· Participants will be able to identify four techniques to reduce the risk of compassion fatigue.

Agenda 

9:30-9:40am  Welcome, Housekeeping, Agenda Review

9:40-10:45am  Building a Safe Learning Environment

· Activity: Identify Compassion Fatigue, Internal and External Triggers and Stressors

10:45am-12pm Small Group Activity - Compassion Fatigue: signs and strategies for coping

· What is resilience and how do we cultivate it?

· Resources and Supports available to crate action plans to counteract the effects of compassion fatigue.

12:00-1:00pm  LUNCH (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

1:00-2:30pm Strategies for reducing risk of Compassion Fatigue

· Exploring boundaries through healthy relationships

2:30-2:45pm BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

2:45-4:00pm Action Planning for resilience

4:00-4:30pm Debrief and Wrap Up

Meet Our Trainers

Waynette Brock has lead peer teams focusing on high risk individuals and underserved populations such as those that are incarcerated, individuals seeking recovery from substance use disorder, and those with life threatening illnesses, as well as anyone who wants to make positive life changes. Waynette lives in Northern California and is the National Trainer for the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery.

Melissa Wallace is a published author and Advanced Level Mental Health Recovery Consultant. Currently responsible for National and International Mental Health Recovery, Community Inclusion & Wellness/Recovery Education programs, certification training, curriculum development, and sourcing of initiatives through implementation. Provides support for all operational aspects of the vendor management process while delivering strategic projects and leadership that provided key business insights for high-priority initiatives.

This course meets the qualifications for (5.75) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.