Saturday, September 24, 2005
Compassion Fatigue
Over the past three weeks there has been little but hurricane coverage on the TV. The situation with Katrina and the mess that is New Orleans, the coming of Rita, the hitting of Rita on LA and Texas, the levies in NOLA breaking and reflooding the ninth ward. Day after day there has been coverage of the mess and pain and mayhem.
I'm tired of it. I just can't bring myself to care about it like I should. And I have tried.
In social work there is a term that we call "compassion Fatigue." It is when you have been dealing with so many victims with so many problems you start to become vicariously traumatized as they are. The worker is tired because the work that has been done and there doesn't seem to be any change in the client, the client is still in pain or not changing and in the same rut. It causes the worker to care less, become hardened and not be as effective working with the client. It's also commonly referred to as burnout.
I think that I am dealing with Hurricane Compassion Fatigue. For three weeks I've seen little but the pictures of New Orleans residents running around in three foot of water, some with TV's and piles of clothes, heard nothing but tale after tale of governmental screw ups, and been told that there's another one coming that's going to do it all over again. As such, I can't get myself worked up the way I should. I look at the miles of cars on the Texas interstate and the satellite pictures of Rita and rather than saying "I hope they'll be okay,' I say better them than me. Instead of thinking how I can help I say that I've already given to the Salvation Army.
Hurricane Compassion Fatigue. I wonder if I can get a Federal grant to study it as part of the rebuilding package going through congress right now.
I'm tired of it. I just can't bring myself to care about it like I should. And I have tried.
In social work there is a term that we call "compassion Fatigue." It is when you have been dealing with so many victims with so many problems you start to become vicariously traumatized as they are. The worker is tired because the work that has been done and there doesn't seem to be any change in the client, the client is still in pain or not changing and in the same rut. It causes the worker to care less, become hardened and not be as effective working with the client. It's also commonly referred to as burnout.
I think that I am dealing with Hurricane Compassion Fatigue. For three weeks I've seen little but the pictures of New Orleans residents running around in three foot of water, some with TV's and piles of clothes, heard nothing but tale after tale of governmental screw ups, and been told that there's another one coming that's going to do it all over again. As such, I can't get myself worked up the way I should. I look at the miles of cars on the Texas interstate and the satellite pictures of Rita and rather than saying "I hope they'll be okay,' I say better them than me. Instead of thinking how I can help I say that I've already given to the Salvation Army.
Hurricane Compassion Fatigue. I wonder if I can get a Federal grant to study it as part of the rebuilding package going through congress right now.
