This Mayo Clinic blogpost illustrates ways to recognize domestic violence in its many forms, including emotional, sexual, and physical abuse and threats of abuse. Further, the blogpost presents the cycle of an abusive situation, why the survivor should not take the blame in an abusive relationship, and challenges for special populations, and offers survivors tips on how to create a safety plan and where to find help.

Compassion can be defined as “feeling for” others who are in pain with warmth, empathetic concern, and the capacity to understand their perspective and intentions. Compassion is necessary for staff in human service settings to effectively engage clients, understand the context surrounding their journey and personal goals, and accurately identify a path forward and appropriate support services. But if we consider compassion as a finite resource, what happens if it runs out?

This brief, which was prepared in conjunction with PeerTA Podcast Episode 2: Combatting Compassion Fatigue, focuses on emerging issues related to compassion fatigue within the context of managing teams. The brief addresses the following questions: What is compassion fatigue and how may it affect the teams I manage? What are the factors that lead to compassion fatigue? How might I recognize compassion fatigue within my teams? As a manager, what steps can I take to help mitigate the effects of compassion fatigue? What can I learn from other TANF programs that implemented strategies to address issues associated with compassion fatigue?

Compassion can be defined as “feeling for” others who are in pain with warmth, empathetic concern, and the capacity to understand their perspective and intentions. Compassion is necessary for staff in human service settings to effectively engage clients, understand the context surrounding their journey and personal goals, and accurately identify a path forward and appropriate support services. But if we consider compassion as a finite resource, what happens if it runs out?

This podcast explored a condition called compassion fatigue. Panelists included: Anna Tekippe, a clinician at the Center for Work Education and Employment in Denver; Santa Molina-Marshall, a holistic psychotherapist located in Washington, DC with expertise in compassion fatigue; and Gerrie Cotter, a project manager for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The panelists shared their experiences and knowledge about compassion fatigue, as well as effective strategies for combatting compassion fatigue within TANF programs and in other human services settings.

Compassion can be defined as “feeling for” others who are in pain with warmth, empathetic concern, and the capacity to understand their perspective and intentions. Compassion is necessary for staff in human service settings to effectively engage clients, understand the context surrounding their journey and personal goals, and accurately identify a path forward and appropriate support services. But if we consider compassion as a finite resource, what happens if it runs out?

This brief, which was prepared in conjunction with PeerTA Podcast Episode 2: Combatting Compassion Fatigue, focuses on emerging issues from the perspective of a program staff member. The brief examines the following questions: What is compassion fatigue and why should I care about it? What are the factors that may lead to compassion fatigue and how might I recognize it? What steps can I take to help combat compassion fatigue and alleviate its effects? What can I learn from colleagues at other TANF programs about compassion fatigue?

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) convened an interagency workgroup of key HHS experts in overdose prevention and substance use disorders to develop a new strategy to address the evolving nature of the broadened overdose crisis. The Overdose Prevention Strategy includes four priority areas: 

1) Primary prevention, 2)  Harm reduction, 3) Evidence-based treatment, 4) Recovery support

This issue brief discusses the Strategy in greater detail, including the objectives under each priority area, associated activities, and guiding principles. 

For additional resources, see the PeerTA Resource Library for reports, research-to-practice briefs, toolkits, fact/tip sheets, and stakeholder resources as well as webinars that address the overdose crisis, substance use, and related supportive services.

This fact sheet targeted primarily for young adults offers information on what it means to take care of oneself as well as hotline telephone numbers and links to information on conversation starters and self-care.

This blogpost defines the concepts of caregiver burnout versus compassion fatigue. It also presents how to recognize compassion fatigue by identifying warning signs in family caregivers, and how to use self-care to prevent compassion fatigue.

The National Association of Case Management held a webinar on May 13, 2020, during which participants learned about the symptoms of Caregiver Fatigue, how to recognize Caregiver Fatigue prior to the symptoms becoming problematic, and ways to identify techniques to reduce symptoms of Caregiver Fatigue. The webinar was led by Bridget Thompson, a Certified Health Coach and a Housing Coordinator at Region V Systems, where she manages programs specializing in housing individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, and mental health and substance abuse issues. A webinar recording is available for download.

This toolkit provides leaders overseeing frontline staff, managers, or other unit-based roles with guidance on assessing their staff’s potential risk of compassion fatigue. The toolkit identifies a five-step process for administering a compassion fatigue assessment, and includes a compassion fatigue discussion guide and a compassion fatigue literature guide.

This blogpost addresses several topics related to compassion fatigue. It defines and identifies symptoms of compassion fatigue compared to burnout and primary traumatic stress. The blogpost also graphically illustrates the compassion fatigue process, offers tips for managing compassion fatigue, and presents the ABC’s of Prevention — Awareness, Balance, and Connections.