Introduction
For many people, the urge to provide support in the face of difficulties motivates them to become a crisis worker. In the same vein, the skill of offering support and assistance in such situations is subject to several personal factors like attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and experiences. In this paper, let us provide the details of my own attitudes, values, behaviors, and experiences, which can either support or limit my ability to do crisis work. In addition, we will investigate the interplay of counselor burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue and study how they are related to my risk in the area of crisis agency.
Personal Qualities that Enhance Crisis Work
Understanding and adequately interacting with individuals in crisis, initiating support, and empathy are crucial to crisis work. Therefore, empathy and compassion are the key points to being a good crisis worker. Furthermore, adopting a non-judgmental approach towards individuals and their circumstances is crucial in establishing a secure and secure environment for clients. A good set of communication skills is also required in crisis work as it allows us to listen effectively and understand the needs and concerns of clients. Finally, the ability to remain composed in stressful situations and to think logically to solve problems is essential for successful projects in crisis work.
Personal Qualities that Impede Crisis Work
Although personal qualities can play a role in crisis work yet, there are also those that can prevent it. Likewise, the obsession with perfection can develop unrealistic expectations for myself and the people I work with. Hence, once this ambition is pursued, we are prone to disappointment, leading to frustration. Furthermore, not being able to set up the boundaries properly may result in a blurred line between your personal and professional life, which in turn may negatively impact work quality and bring burnout. Inflexibility may be a great challenge to the different situations and locations of work, resulting in low efficiency in the provision of the required support and solutions. People with this disorder often have emotional difficulties, especially when under stress, leading to mistakes in making decisions that may cause personal damage. Ultimately, not taking self-care and burnout can be end products; therefore, compassion fatigue will develop, and the person will find difficulties in his/her aid to others (Hazen et al., 2020).
The Impact of Personal Crisis Experiences
Working in crises can be emotionally and mentally draining, making it harder for a person to maintain their mental health and avoid symptoms of burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue. An additional risk factor is work overload, as well as constant exposure to traumatic circumstances, which leads to burnout and hopelessness (Faye, 2021). Another factor for the emotional burden of crisis work is the necessary and excessive compassion and empathy. In addition, burnout is rarely a lack of self-care, and difficulty controlling your emotions can worsen intense or distressing situations (Singer et al., 2020). Every employee working with the crisis must remember to put their wellbeing before to prevent burnout.
Attitudes, Values, Behaviors, and Experiences that Contribute to Vicarious Traumatization, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
Long-term exposure to traumatic events can affect crisis workers, who may suffer vicarious traumatization over time. Similarly, the habit of being unable to walk away from work when it is time to and feeling responsible for clients’ results can further intensify the emotional burden. The lack of social support and work balance may also affect the emotional and mental health of the worker. Like burnout and second-hand trauma, compassion fatigue also poses a danger for crisis workers. The risk of sacrificing oneself and a lack of setting limits can cause the dismissal of personal wellbeing and burnout. In addition, a lack of professional development opportunities and unrealistic expectations can lead to compassion fatigue because they can diminish the worker’s ability to manage challenging situations and provide helpful care to clients (Clemons, 2020). Lastly, burnout is one of the main problems for crisis workers, as the top causes high workload, time pressure, and lack of control and resources, which cause emotional exhaustion and feelings of detachment. Additionally, being unappreciated or undervalued and having low job satisfaction can be the reasons for burnout. Crisis-focused workers need to work in a supportive and satisfying environment to avoid burnout (Jeong & Jung, 2020).
Mitigating Personal Risk and Achieving Better Results in Disaster Work
Self-reflection and self-awareness are critical for managing personal risks and increasing effectiveness in crisis work. It is essential to be aware of personal attitudes, values, behaviors, and experiences to identify challenges and areas of improvement (Kim et al., 2022). It is also essential to seek support and supervision from colleagues and mental health professionals to process and manage any ongoing issues and counter-transference. Also, it is essential to set boundaries and practice self-care to maintain wellbeing and reduce the risk of burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue which consists of taking breaks, practicing activities that bring happiness and relaxation, and creating a work-life balance. Continuous learning and development are also crucial in improving effectiveness in crisis work. This can be done through workshops, conferences, and other learning opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge. Lastly, a balance between personal and professional life can be achieved, and this will lead to feelings of fulfillment and avoid burnout.
Conclusion
In summary, personal qualities, such as empathy, compassion, communication skills, and problem-solving ability, will improve the work of the crisis, but traits such as perfectionism, inflexibility, and lack of self-care can hinder the crisis work. Crisis experiences of a worker and inherent emotions and cognitive difficulties can also prevent them from working effectively in crisis work. In their work, workers may develop symptoms such as burnout, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue, and, as a result, they should take part in self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-care to reduce risks and improve their results in disaster work.
References
Clemons, B. (2020). Systematic literature review: Burnout, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary trauma amongst MSW student interns and entry-level professionals (Doctoral dissertation, California State University, Northridge). https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/vh53wz70s
Faye, M. (2021). Vicarious Trauma, Empathy, and Attitudes in Clinicians Who Treat People Who Have Committed Sex Offenses (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania). https://www.proquest.com/openview/0d33003b732072e2c7e49d9f64f57f99/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Hazen, K. P., Carlson, M. W., Hatton-Bowers, H., Fessinger, M. B., Cole-Mossman, J., Bahm, J., … & Gilkerson, L. (2020). Evaluating the facilitating attuned interactions (FAN) approach: Vicarious trauma, professional burnout, and reflective practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 112, 104925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104925
Jeong, E., & Jung, M. R. (2020). Effect of work-life balance, compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout on the grit of clinical nurses. Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial Cooperation Society, 21(3), 438-446. https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202009759222449.pdf
Kim, J., Chesworth, B., Franchino-Olsen, H., & Macy, R. J. (2022). A scoping review of vicarious trauma interventions for service providers working with people who have experienced traumatic events. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(5), 1437–1460. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838021991310
Singer, J., Cummings, C., Boekankamp, D., Hisaka, R., & T. Benuto, L. (2020). Compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout: A replication study with victim advocates. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(3), 313-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2018.1561595
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