Pubdate: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2007 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: Jamie Hall, The Edmonton Journal 'COMPASSION FATIGUE' A HAZARD FOR COUNSELLORS Addiction Workers Helped to Develop Coping Strategies to Deal With Steady Exposure to Traumatic Stories EDMONTON - People who have to listen to traumatic stories involving violence, death, abuse and loss in their job are susceptible to "compassion fatigue," a conference heard this week. "Sometimes our clients speak to us in such graphic detail you can see it all happen in front of you," Kathryn Irwin-Seguin told an audience of about 150 addiction workers. "We all take our stories home with us ... so many stories." Irwin-Seguin is the executive director of the Iris Centre, an addiction recovery facility for women in Ontario. She was a speaker at the Shaw Conference Centre, which is hosting the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse's second national conference. She and Leigh MacEwan, a researcher from Laurentian University, said compassion fatigue has been identified as a potential occupational hazard for mental health workers who routinely listen to stories of trauma. Unlike burnout, which is related to work environment and worsens over time, the onset of compassion fatigue can happen more quickly and stems from workers' interaction with their clients' sometimes horrific life stories. Irwin-Seguin and MacEwan conducted a study involving counsellors at the Iris Centre, who, over time, found such stories to be "personally intrusive," often affecting relationships outside work and causing a barrage of negative emotions. "The challenge becomes how to find a way to deal with the toxicity of the stories while maintaining best practices," said MacEwan. Workers used a variety of strategies to cope, drawing from spiritual and emotional resources, and relying heavily on colleagues to debrief about their experiences. At the Iris Centre, said Irwin-Seguin, a wellness committee has been struck to develop strategies on an ongoing basis, and once a month staff take a day to "just have fun" by doing things like taking golf lessons or painting classes. Said Irwin-Seguin: "There's a growing awareness that as compassionate caregivers, addiction workers need to be taken care of." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake