Tips for preventing your own compassion fatigue - Ep39

Shelter Success Simplified

GUEST: Anne Lindsay founded the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) in 2000. In addition to spending 12 years on the management team at a large shelter, Anne is a past president of the board of the New England Federation of Humane Societies and is a current board member of both MAC and the State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team (SMART). In 2010, Anne earned a master’s degree in counseling psychology and has consulted with states, smaller communities, and individual shelters.

MAIN QUESTION: What can individuals do to prevent compassion fatigue in the first place and how can we talk to people dealing with it now?

TAKEAWAYS

* Burnout is related to your job, and you can be burned out at any job. Compassion fatigue is about being overwhelmed by what’s happening to others, such as animals. People in animal welfare often can be both burned out and suffering from compassion fatigue.

* People with their own histories of trauma can be especially susceptible to compassion fatigue.

* It’s important to seek out people who can be a support system – not a group of people who feed off complaints.

* Reframe your thinking by focusing on what is good and meaningful in your work, and perhaps find an area that you can specialize in or excel at that uses your talent and brain power.

* We each have an ethical responsibility to take care of ourselves, to be healthy mentally and physically, because if we fail, those we care for will not receive the help they need.

LINKS

* Massachusetts Animal Coalition

* State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team

* Leadership recommendation: “What great fundraising CEOs are doing to raise their fundraising game”