In Person- MRC Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue - The Cost of Caring

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Presenter's Bio: 

Patricia has worked as a humanistic and integrative psychotherapist in private practice since 2006. Additionally, she worked as a group facilitator with people who had attempted suicide or who were struggling with suicidal ideation for a mental health organisation in Dublin for thirteen years, as well as facilitating a number of their other programmes. Since leaving that organisation in 2024 she works in the area of fostering providing therapeutic support to foster carers.

She is passionate about and works extensively in the field of trauma and provides training for mental health professionals in trauma and trauma-informed care as well as lecturing in it. She is part of a national working group tasked with producing a guidance document on trauma-informed care in Ireland as part of ‘Sharing the Vision’- Ireland’s policy framework for the continued development and enhancement of mental health services. She has also been involved in the training of counsellors since 2008 and works as a core tutor and lecturer on The Dublin Counselling and Therapy Centre’s Masters course in Counselling and Psychotherapy in Dublin. Additionally, she works with a diverse range of organisations providing workshops and webinars on different aspects of wellness, mental health and also the Psychology of Happiness. 

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Event Outline: 

The practitioner’s empathy and ability to witness are key aspects of not just our professional ability but also of our humanity. However, when we are repeatedly exposed to traumatic stories or seemingly intractable problems, our compassion can become eroded, and we can begin to feel helpless and hopeless. Left unacknowledged this can result in the development of Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue and if not addressed we may develop Secondary Traumatic Stress Injuries which mirror our clients’ Post Traumatic Stress Injuries. 

 This one-day interactive workshop will explore and identify elements of secondary traumatic stress. Additionally, it will allow practitioners space to reflect on any elements they may be experiencing or may have experienced as well as providing ways to mitigate the risks associated with their work. It will also give time for practitioners to explore their relationship with self-care and develop a self-care plan to help them move towards compassion resilience. 

Practitioners will:

• Explore the concept of Secondary Stress Disorder
• Examine its characteristics of Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue
• Identify any characteristics that practitioners may be experiencing
• Reflect on how they may be unconsciously and unintentionally protecting themselves from and/or defending against vicarious traumatic material they encounter in their work and the potential impact of this on the people they work with
• Develop an ethical and self-tailored care plan to help increase resilience in the face of secondary traumatic injuries such as Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma in a bid to move towards Compassion Resilience

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 CPD Certs will be emailed to participants after attendance at the Event

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