Compassion fatigue is one of the most pervasive and least discussed traumas that nearly every caregiver feels at one time or another. Millions of people choose a helper profession (everything from nurse to lawyer to therapist to veterinarian) because they care deeply and feel called to service. Millions more are thrust into unpaid caregiving roles due to illness, injury, or the natural course of aging.
Nearly everyone in a heart-based role has experienced some sort of compassion fatigue or burnout. And nearly everyone feels guilt and shame for their fatigue. They are caregivers; shouldn't they be unstoppable and invincible?
This book brings together experts from across a wide variety of professions, backgrounds, and cultures to tell their stories of experiencing compassion fatigue and to give practical, useful, actionable advice and solutions on how to build personal resilience, how to avoid compassion fatigue, and how to rekindle your own spirit when compassion fatigue and burnout drag you down into the darkness.
Contributors
Jean Accius, PhD - Chief Executive Officer of a national health equity nonprofit
Faith Albright, DVM - Veterinarian and owner/operator of an animal sanctuary
Larry Brouder - Global employee mobility expert and speaker
Dennis Brozzo, PMP - Executive, leadership, and life coach
Richa Chadha, MBA, MS - Mindset coach, speaker, and organizational psychologist
Peter Dudley, PCC - Leadership and life coach, author, and publisher
Nayely Duran, ACC - Consultant, trainer, and executive leadership coach
Tammy Hurst, RN, MSN, NC-BC - Registered nurse and certified nurse coach
Catherine Krause - Speaker, consultant, and developer of the Empowered Aging framework
Jerrald Krause, PhD - Professor and co-founder of Center for Applied Social Analysis and Education
Antoinette LeCouteur - Unpaid family caregiver and philanthropy advisor and consultant
Jill Louise Léger - Geriatric recreational therapist and creator of The Sunflower Channel on YouTube
Laura Plato, MSc - CEO of The New Frequency and social impact technology executive
Dr. Kenya Oscar Radoli - Technology sociologist, business innovation consultant, and organization culture architect
Sally Spencer-Thomas, PsyD - Clinical psychologist, speaker, and renowned mental health advocate
Margaret Stauffer, MS, LMFT - Licensed marriage and family therapist and retired nonprofit director
Allison K. Wyman, JD, MPA - Family caregiving attorney and creator of the Cozy Caregiver Café podcast
About the Author :
Peter is an author and executive coach who tries to make the most of every day. He grew up in Connecticut with summers in Las Vegas, got his electrical engineering degree from UC Berkeley, then went on a long and winding career in startups, nonprofits, and big corporations. Once both his kids were grown, he started Gray Bear Coaching and Gray Bear Publications. Peter has published four novels, two poetry collections, and a chapter book, and his short fiction and professional articles have been published in a wide array of journals and anthologies. He is also the founder of Gray Bear Coaching LLC and Gray Bear Publications. Find him at graybearcoaching.com. Antoinette is a consultant specializing in helping people do good in the world. A theatre major in college and actor early in her career, she transitioned to the world of philanthropy and social impact in the mid-2000s and has helped get hundreds of millions of dollars in employee donations and corporate funds to charities all over the world. In her photography, she captures moments that happen, rarely staging a photograph but preferring to see the world as it is, in unique ways and from new angles. She is especially fond of pollinators, and her camera roll is filled with bees, butterflies, and insects of all types going about their work of maintaining the world. Find her at CreateImpact.world.
