Compassion Fatigue Among Therapists of Color

Compassion fatigue is an issue that every therapist must be aware of over the course of her career. Intrinsic to our work, is a considerable amount of time and energy holding space for the deep, emotional suffering, complex traumas and pain of others. But how does this work impact clinicians of color, who face layers of systemic and interpersonal racism on top of the emotional fatigue of client care? What’s the lasting effect with a growing number of clients who want and need to wield these issues into the therapy room?

In this workshop I will explore the complex interaction of our own personal experiences of racial injustice, the systemic racism that impedes our work with clients and its impact on client session content as it relates to therapists’ compassion fatigue. I’ll address the often overlooked need for therapists of color to get racially relevant professional support and self-care to prevent or address compassion fatigue.

1.5 hours CE. Recorded video and reflection activities

Time spent on reflection prompts is required for course completion. However, you may choose to record your response to these reflections online within the course or record through your own personal method (for example, on your desktop or handwritten notes).

ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1.53 hours (

CE CREDITS: 1.50 continuing education/contact hours for social workers, psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists

TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health Practitioners

LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Introductory

PREREQUISITE(S): None

INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Recorded video format (non-interactive)

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of audio components. In order to request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, learners must complete a pre-test (not scored), progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post-test. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.

FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:  This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.

GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.

PARTICIPATION COSTS:  The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.

COURSE CREATION DATE: 3/1/2023

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue
• Differentiate compassion fatigue from burnout, depression, trauma and anxiety
• Identify unique ways compassion fatigue impacts Black therapists and other therapists of color
• Enlighten how race, racism and social injustice intersect with therapist self-care
• Identify specific ways to prevent and treat compassion fatigue within the context of race for Black therapists in particular, and all therapists in general
• Conceptualize ways that organizations, work environments and professional communities can address compassion fatigue in a modern day context

1. What is Compassion Fatigue
   1. How do I identify it and know if I am suffering from it?
   2. What compassion fatigue is now: burnout, anxiety, trauma, depression
   3. How race plays a role
   4. Revisiting your vision for therapy as a launch pad of understanding
   5. If self-care is scientifically not the answer, what's next?
2. Coming Home to Yourself
   1. Finding purpose and passion amidst radical acceptance: more being less doing
   2. Recognizing that not everything can be changed is part of the healing process
   3. Activism and advocacy and how they play a role 
   4. Finding your space in the collective
3. Strategies for Sustainable Self-Nurturance 
1. Create a predictable, daily routine
2. Find a gratitude practice
3. Use creativity as an outlet
4. Get dirty: ground yourself in plants, earth and sun
5. Embrace daily stillness: silence to help you hear yourself
6. Make deep connections. You are not alone, and self-care is really group care
7. Self-reflections for daily life
   1. Which people and activities in my life help me reconnect to joy and playfulness?
   2. How can I connect to my body to release stress and trauma each day/week?
   3. Am I setting the necessary boundaries to allow space for me to be fully restored?
4. Questions for Organizations & Leaders
   1. Do we have a clear statement of our anti-racism vision?
   2. Are their safe spaces for Black clinicians to discuss race?
   3. What steps are we taking to eliminate the presence of White Saviorism in the workplace?
   4. Are we having courageously uncomfortable conversations as an inclusive community?
   5. How do we show that self-care, self-compassion and rest are valued and prioritized here?
5. Self-Reflection for Work
1. What do I need to be seen and heard as a Black person and Black therapist?
2. Where can I get support and supervision that honors the role/impact of racism in my work?
3. How will I know when I need to take a break from clinical work to manage my own fatigue and overwhelm?