This scenario is based on the fact that a majority of the administrators are not devoted to uplift the morale of their workers and are, in many cases, unsure about the preventive measures of compassion fatigue. The importance of uplifting the morale of mental health professionals is also an issue of paramount importance in this paper. This paper addresses the need for the encouragement of workers due to the sensitive nature associated with their services and the possible disaster that may result from their deprived services. It will also identify coping strategies to help reduce compassion fatigue.
Introduction The greatest achievements in the performance of the worker in diverse professions are rooted on the extent of the enthusiasm in as far as the working environment of the worker is concerned. The abhorrence subjected to the worker in line with the monotony of repeated performance of the same task day in and day out has been observed to have fewer impacts on the hindrances of the worker in matters of job attendance. However, scenarios of this nature are pride or passion unfriendly in the consideration of the working environment.The culture of the workplace beats significant influence on the issues related to the performance of the workers. The culture should be one that is in a position to promote the morale of the workers as one of the most important principles guiding productivity.
Most of those people working in the environment involving offering care to others will at some point assume a behavior likely to suggest that they do not care. The extreme of this situation is associated with an occasional serious mistake made by the worker that is not a practice of the past. Literature reviewA definition of compassion fatigue is ‘a state of exhaustion and dysfunction – biologically, psychologically, and socially – as a result of prolonged exposure to compassion stress It is further noted that compassion fatigue is ‘identical to secondary traumatic stress disorder (STSD) and is the equivalent of PTSD’ (Simpson, Starkey and Figley, 2006). Studies that have so far been conducted have the indication of the fact that compassion fatigue as well as the counselor burnout have a direct relationship with the length of time that the worker have been in service in the same field.According to the studies it has been asserted that the counselors who were employed over the last ten years and above will be affected by a less degree of burnout relative to counselors serving in the same field for as long as thirty years and above (Penny, 2005).
The burnout as well as the stress associated with the compassion fatigue is associated with low productivity and therefore it is costly in terms of money and time. It is a source of harm to a person’s enjoyment, family, job as well as friends, and the best approach to handle it is to avoid it.According to Dujits, Landeweerd & Swaen, “Teachers, Social Workers, Doctors, Nurses, Counselors, Psychologists, and other Mental Health Professionals all are at very high risk for burnout” (Dujits, Landeweerd & Swaen, 2006). He further asserts that “People in "helping professions" consistently put themselves at risk because they care so much and because they are expected by everyone else to take care of everyone other than self” (Dujits, Landeweerd & Swaen, 2006). The majority of the individuals working in the professions mentioned above are usually under the influence of intensive stress.This situation is most likely resulting in the burnout of these workers gradually leading to their ineffectiveness.
Among these workers, those that are responsible with the care of the majority are specifically faced with the levels of risks. Emotional toll surrounding the working conditions involving children, patients as well as other vulnerable clients is on the escalating trend each consecutive year (Maslach, 2004). The process of addressing stress, counselor burnout as well as compassion fatigue, may require diverse approaches.The administrator may decide to prepare a party for the entire workforce. The second option is to allow the workers leave early from work or allow for a holiday in the entire company. These ideas are important and should never be dismissed so fast since they are associated with gestures necessary to rejuvenate the energies of the work colleagues.
The sense of caring for their welfare is contained in this priceless message based on their status as your patients students as well as clients.However as put forward by the argument of Ekstedt, & Fabergerg “such efforts are likely to be short-lived and majority of the workers in the helping professions such as education, health care, social work, mental health or hospitals are incapacitated to perform on a practical level, even if it would make a positive difference to both our work environment and our clients, students as well as patients” (Ekstedt, & Fabergerg 2005). The application of a solution that is to a great extent more practical, it is imperative that the root cause of the burnout is first uncovered prior to the identification of solution approaches.The identification of cause of burnout among the people who are caring as well as loving in a readily manner in their culture is a very important breakthrough to the solution of the problem.
The majority of those people who joined the profession responsible for helping others did so not because of financial gains, but because of their caring nature. The motive behind their participation in the career is the realization of positive impact on the lives, the mind as well as the health of the people they are destined to serve.They hold the opinion that their mission to help others is so crucial importance as it is associated with rewards that warrant for personal sacrifice. Harming oneself is imputed to a practice of caring for others while abandoning any efforts to care for ones own (Maslach, 2004). The practice of the abandonment of the individual care is associated with a loss of perspective as well as the motive that was originally the driving force in as far as helping others is concerned.Consequently, the loss of perspective in the context of these kinds of profession is associated with the erosion of the personal inspiration.
This situation leads hurting the service provider with consequential results of subjecting the clients to suffering. Effective training plays a major role in aiding the teachers to teach, the healers to heal, and the professionals in the mental health to rejuvenate the mental health of the mentally ill (Penny, 2005). Psychological exhaustion is expressed as a syndrome of compassion fatigue with respect to the victims.
