Combating Compassion Fatigue and Burnout

Among the industries where burnout is the most common, our field — social work and social services – ranks third.

The unfortunately high ranking is just behind doctors and nurses and just above teachers and principals.

Workers in every type of job and across industries have to balance work stress and the demands of their personal lives. But workers in industries that demand a high level of “empathetic intensity,” as author Matt Bennett puts it, tend to burnout at higher rates.

The career seekers that CWEE serves face substantial life hurdles and hardships, often including poverty, childhood abuse or neglect, trauma, or domestic violence. As Bennett says, “emotions are contagious” and professionals in helping roles are often impacted, with some of them experiencing compassion fatigue, secondary trauma and/or burnout.

Bennett is working with CWEE’s Board of Directors and leadership team to bolster the organizational support and self-care strategies that CWEE offers to our team.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CWEE team has been working harder than ever to meet the needs of our participants and adjust to rapidly changing conditions. As an organization, one of our top priorities is supporting each member of our team and ensuring they have access to self-care and support before they start to feel exhausted. For that reason, CWEE is working with Bennett and proactively working to provide for the physical, psychological and emotional well-being of our staff.

Stay tuned for more updates on CWEE’s work to combat compassion fatigue and burnout among our staff and within our field.