Compassion Fatigue
​Terminology & Definitions

Compassion Fatigue

• The emotional and physical exhaustion that can affect helping professionals and caregivers over time

Primary Trauma

• Direct exposure in line of duty (i.e., firefighter, first responder, EMT)
• It is happening – to directly to YOU!

Secondary Trauma

• Exposure to verbal descriptions, story telling, verbally, in writing or audio / video
  
• You are not in an actual dangerous situation

Vicarious Trauma (VT)

• Used to describe the profound shift that workers experience in their world view when they work with clients who have experienced trauma.
• Helpers notice that the way they think about clients and the world is somehow changed by the cumulative process of repeated exposure

Burnout

• The physical and emotional exhaustion that workers experience when they have low job satisfaction, feel powerless and overwhelmed at work.
• Easily resolved by changing jobs

Toxic Workplace

• Atmosphere of mistrust
  
• Workers begin to cling to feelings of bitterness and sense of being wronged

Compassion Satisfaction

The amount of pleasure you derive from being able to do your work well.”
- Beth Hudnall Stamm