The Compassion Fatigue Workbook: Creative Tools for Transforming Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization

Mathieu, a mental health counselor, compassion fatigue specialist, organizational consultant, and trainer on topics related to self-care, wellness, and burnout, offers a workbook for helping professionals in health care, mental health, education, law enforcement, and the military that explains how to remain healthy and care for themselves while providing care to others. She leads them through experiential activities and strategies for compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatization, explaining what they are, as well as the concept of compassion satisfaction, and how helpers develop compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, in addition to providing a self-test for burnout. She outlines how to discuss the problems with a supervision group or colleagues; understand warning signs and factors that contribute to these problems; identify strategies to improve the work environment and mitigate these problems on professional, organizational, and personal levels; take steps towards wellness; track stress; reflect on work/life balance; use eating, rest, relaxation, and stress reduction techniques; make a commitment to change; and get help. Annotation 穢2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)