What does this mean for Child Life Specialists?Like other helping professions, those in Child Life routinely use empathy as a way to connect with their patients and encourage healthy coping in them. Empathy and vulnerability are used to understand what the child is experiencing and to therefore modify child life interventions to fit that particular child (University of Iowa, 2009). It allows the helper to enter “the private world” of the patient (Huggard, 2008). There is no doubt that empathy is a beneficial skill to have. Research has shown that there is a positive correlation between the amount of empathy a helper has and the quality of care that they give (Huggard, 2008).
However, as one author states “empathetic engagement is the primary conduit for the transmission of traumatic stress from client to therapist. (Craig and Sprang, 2010) Empathy is strongly related to compassion fatigue (Craig and Sprang, 2010; Huggard, 2008; University of Iowa, 2009). |
"The way we deal with loss shapes our capacity to be present to life more than anything else..." What is the Impact of Compassion Fatigue?If professional helpers experience compassion fatigue, their level of care and service will not be as high (Gottlieb, Hennessy, & Squires, 2004; National Child Resource Center for Adoption 2010; University of Iowa, 2009). They will experience lowered motivation and empathy, so their competency as child life specialists will be impacted (Harr, 2013). In addition, their work environment might be negatively impacted as there might be higher levels of conflict or isolation/avoidance (Harr, 2013; Mathieu, 2007a; University of Iowa, 2009).
Because compassion fatigue is not limited to one profession, it is something that must be addressed in all helping professions, not just child life (Gottlieb, Hennessy, & Squires, 2004; Harr, 2013; National Child Resource Center for Adoption 2010). This “occupational hazard” impacts all helpers, although at varying levels and at different times (Harr, 2013; Mathieu, 2007a). If the helper does not learn to increase compassion satisfaction and decrease compassion fatigue, this negatively impacts their sense of self and physiological functioning by possibly turning into depression or some type of stress-related illness (Mathieu, 2007a; University of Iowa, 2009). Many helpers do not recognize compassion fatigue and do not realize that they have the ability to increase their compassion satisfaction. In addition, for many, actively taking the time to engage in self-care seems more like a privilege rather than a necessity (Gottlieb, Hennessy, & Squires, 2004). |