Although this article from the Child Life Council focuses on burnout, there are a variety of tips and ideas for self-care that can be used to prevent compassion fatigue. Included in this article are two questions that encourage Child Life Specialists to evaluate how well they are holistically caring for themselves.
Gottlieb, D., Hennessy, L., & Squires, V. (2004). Burnout: Knowing the symptoms and learning how to care for yourself, too. Child Life Focus (6)2, 1-4
Gottlieb, D., Hennessy, L., & Squires, V. (2004). Burnout: Knowing the symptoms and learning how to care for yourself, too. Child Life Focus (6)2, 1-4
This article provides a succinct summary of what compassion fatigue is, who it affects, what it looks like and information about developing a personal compassion fatigue prevention toolkit. This section of the article provides some reflection questions to help the reader discover what types of self-care would be the best fit.
Mathieu, F. (2007a). Running on empty: Compassion fatigue in health professionals. Rehabilitation and Community Care Medicine, 8-10
Mathieu, F. (2007a). Running on empty: Compassion fatigue in health professionals. Rehabilitation and Community Care Medicine, 8-10
After briefly explaining compassion fatigue and compassion fatigue, this article includes the top 12 Self-Care Tips for Helpers. These tips are practical and doable—focusing on maintaining a balanced life.
Mathieu, F. (2007b).Transforming compassion fatigue into compassion satisfaction: Top 12 self-care tips for helpers. WHP-Workshops for the Helping Professions. Retrieved from http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/Top12SelfCareTips.pdf
Mathieu, F. (2007b).Transforming compassion fatigue into compassion satisfaction: Top 12 self-care tips for helpers. WHP-Workshops for the Helping Professions. Retrieved from http://www.compassionfatigue.org/pages/Top12SelfCareTips.pdf
This article briefly explains the impact of mindfulness on compassion fatigue and then gives some ways of incorporating mindfulness as a way to reduce stress.
Mathieu, F. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: An important tool in mitigating compassion fatigue in helpers. Retrieved from http://compassionfatigue.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/MBSR_article.pdf
Mathieu, F. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: An important tool in mitigating compassion fatigue in helpers. Retrieved from http://compassionfatigue.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/MBSR_article.pdf
Additional resources on stress and self-care