Drowning in - fighting fatigue by building resiliency Samantha Sander, DVM, Dipl. ACZM [email protected]

Important terms - Compassion fatigue o AKA vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic , secondary victimization o A state experienced by those helping people or animals in distress; it is an extreme state of tension and preoccupation with the of those being helped to the degree that it can create a secondary traumatic stress for the helper o Indifference to charitable appeals on behalf of those who are suffering, experienced as a result of the frequency or number of such appeals o The emotional residue or strain of exposure to working with those suffering from the consequences of traumatic events. It differs from burn-out, but can co-exist. Compassion Fatigue can occur due to exposure on one case or can be due to a “cumulative” level of trauma. - Burn out: o Workers exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of efficacy o Cumulative process marked by and withdrawal associated with increased workload and institutional stress, NOT trauma-related.

Recognizing a problem 1. Professional Quality of Life Test 2. Life Stress Test 3. Empath Test 4. Flourishing Scale 5. DASS 6. The Life Wheel

Resources 1. https://www.wildlifecenter.org/blog/compassion-fatigue-wildlife-rehabilitation 2. http://www.compassionfatigue.org/index.html 3. http://nautil.us/blog/how-animal-rescuers-are-burning-out-their-empathy 4. https://www.avma.org/ProfessionalDevelopment/PeerAndWellness/Pages/default.aspx 5. https://vetsocialwork.utk.edu/about-us/compassion-fatigue-management/ 6. https://barkpost.com/good/compassion-fatigue-animal-workers/ 7. https://www.petfinder.com/pro/for-shelters/compassion-fatigue/ 8. https://www.stress.org/military/for-practitionersleaders/compassion-fatigue