In the course of their everyday lives, social workers who are exposed to others’ stress and trauma may experience compassion fatigue: a state of emotional and physical exhaustion. Compassion fatigue can have dire consequences, such as an inability to empathize, occupational burnout, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. In time, these consequences can negatively impact social work as a whole, leading to a less caring, less hospitable world.
Informing aspiring professionals about the dangers of compassion fatigue in social work is critical. Those who want to pursue advanced degrees in social work should understand compassion fatigue to build the tools, resources, and knowledge to prevent and overcome this exhaustion and support their clients effectively.
What Is Compassion Fatigue?
People in helping professions often work with individuals, families, and populations who have experienced trauma. Over time, exposure to secondhand trauma can take a serious toll on the physical and mental health of helping professionals.
Compassion fatigue is often experienced by HSPs such as social workers and first responders, such as firefighters and police officers — professionals who work with traumatized individuals. It involves a set of symptoms and reactions that disrupt behavior and professional practice.
These professionals can develop compassion fatigue by providing human services directly to individuals who are suffering and vicariously experiencing their trauma. Over time, when the fatigue is neither prevented nor resolved, social workers tend to become emotionally withdrawn or detached. As a result, they struggle to provide quality care to people who need it.
Compassion Fatigue vs. Burnout
Compassion fatigue in social work and burnout often occur in tandem, but the two are very different. Burnout is a consequence of many factors other than secondary trauma, and it involves depression, lethargy, cynicism, and/or frustration that occurs over an extended period. A perceived low salary, lack of emotional support from others at work, monotony, or poor supervision can come together and lead to burnout.
Whereas burnout can also occur in social work careers, making social workers irritable and closed off, compassion fatigue results in social workers becoming numb to others’ suffering and losing hope in their ability to make a difference. In some cases, it may lead to an incapacity to feel empathy.
Trauma and Compassion in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005, it became one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. What began as a tropical depression over the Bahamas evolved into a catastrophic Category 5 storm as it churned over the Gulf of Mexico, bearing down on Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
By the time Katrina made landfall again on August 19, 2005, it had been downgraded to Category 3, but its loss in strength did not make it any less devastating. At least 1,800 people died during the hurricane itself and the subsequent flooding, which was made worse by levee failures around New Orleans, Louisiana.
The cleanup and recovery efforts after Katrina cost billions of dollars, as the storm destroyed more than 200,000 homes and displaced 800,000 citizens. Almost 20 years later, the city’s infrastructure and population are still experiencing the aftereffects.
Charles Figley, a Tulane University professor of social work and director of the Tulane University Traumatology Institute, applied the term “compassion fatigue in social work” to his research findings among human services practitioners (HSPs), including those working with Katrina survivors. He believes recovery from traumatic experiences involves more than a focus on rebuilding infrastructure. It must also consider the effects of trauma on people’s lives, including social workers and other helping professionals.
The 4 Stages of Compassion Fatigue
Compassion fatigue in social work is cumulative and progressive. According to Figley, it occurs in four primary stages.
Empathy
Empathy can be defined as the ability to notice and understand someone else’s pain and suffering. In every helping profession, including social work, empathy is the foundation of quality support and service. However, when professionals experience empathy, there is always an emotional cost that is driven by their desire to help relieve or improve others’ trauma.
Empathetic Response
When social workers are exposed to secondary trauma, they have an empathetic response to that trauma. The response involves taking actions designed to help them understand the situation and find ways to help.
Compassion Stress
Over time, individuals who are actively working to relieve others’ pain and suffering may experience compassion stress. This is far more likely among social workers who are working with multiple individuals or families experiencing ongoing trauma over a long period.
Compassion Fatigue
Social workers who are unable to manage their compassion stress have a high risk of developing compassion fatigue. This is especially true among those who are exposed to collective trauma or trauma over time, as well as those who start to experience painful memories of past traumas. Those who start experiencing issues with managing responsibilities, lifestyle changes, or illness are at the highest risk of developing compassion fatigue in social work.
How to Identify Compassion Fatigue
Individuals working in fields such as social work, counseling, and public health should familiarize themselves with the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue and be able to identify them. According to the Administration for Children & Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, compassion fatigue symptoms can show up the following areas:
- Cognitive: Cognitive symptoms include apathy, difficulty concentrating, perfectionism, and obsession.
- Emotional: Emotional symptoms include persistent feelings of guilt, anger, sadness, numbness, or helplessness.
- Behavioral: Behavioral symptoms include becoming withdrawn, having difficulty sleeping, experiencing appetite changes, and becoming hypervigilant (an elevated startle response similar to that experienced by those with post-traumatic stress disorder)
- Physical: Physical signs include increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, muscle and joint pain, and an impaired immune system.
How to Address Compassion Fatigue in Social Work
Noticing, addressing, and managing compassion fatigue in social work and other trauma specialties is important for continuity of care. Below are some strategies for preventing and treating compassion fatigue.
Prevention
Individuals and organizations can use preventive strategies to reduce the severity of compassion fatigue. These include the following:
- Work-Life Balance: Individuals should make sure that they are spending enough time doing leisure activities or connecting with people they care about.
- Assertiveness Training: Organizations can teach those susceptible to compassion fatigue how to set boundaries — that is, when and how to say no to activities that would add stress to their personal or professional life, making them feel overextended and inhibiting their ability to provide quality care.
- Coping Skills: Individuals can apply coping strategies, including meditation and discussing issues and feelings with colleagues or friends.
- Creative Expression: Writing, painting, playing an instrument, or practicing other creative arts as an outlet for emotions is a powerful tool.
- Nutrition: Eating well; staying hydrated; and avoiding too much alcohol, sugar, and caffeine can help individuals reduce anxiety and fatigue, as well as maintain a positive outlook.
Treatment
Compassion fatigue in social work can be treated. Common methods include the following:
- Journaling: Writing down thoughts, emotions, and frustrations can help individuals manage negative feelings and focus on the positive aspects of their work.
- Support Groups: Joining a support group can put those with compassion fatigue in touch with others who have experienced the condition firsthand. Talking through feelings and connecting with others who have shared similar experiences can be a useful coping mechanism.
- Counseling: The perspective of another professional can help individuals suffering from compassion fatigue develop new ways of coping or implement new treatment methods.
- Self-Care: People with compassion fatigue can refocus by creating better boundaries and making more time for meaningful personal pursuits. Self-care looks different for everyone, but many find activities such as exercise, reading, or spending time with friends or family effective ways to decompress.
Resources for Addressing Compassion Fatigue in Social Work
Professionals who experience compassion fatigue can explore several important resources that provide information and support. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) lists the following resources:
- Burnout and Self Care in Social Work, Second Edition: A Guidebook for Students and Those in Mental Health and Related Professions: This publication provides numerous compassion fatigue avoidance strategies developed specifically for social workers.
- Compassion Fatigue Assessment Tool: This tool can help social workers identify and recognize the signs of compassion fatigue. It is also useful for exploring the root causes and provides sources of additional help.
- Compassion Fatigue Awareness Project: This program provides numerous assessment tools and other resources that bring awareness to compassion fatigue.
- Compassion Resilience Toolkit for Health and Human Services Leaders and Staff: This toolkit offers helpful tips and strategies for maintaining professionals’ mental and physical health in the wake of others’ distress, suffering, or trauma.
A Program for Compassionate Social Workers
Social workers are vulnerable to compassion fatigue because of the nature of their work. These professionals offer communities crucial services, so identifying and treating compassion fatigue is vital. Some social workers may also lend their skills to treating compassion fatigue in other social workers, caregivers, or first responders. Innovators in this field, including Figley, are working at Tulane University, teaching, researching, and raising awareness about the effects of compassion fatigue.
Learn more about the Online MSW at Tulane, where you can explore how compassion fatigue in social workers is identified, managed, and treated.