Ground Hog Day

1 L Edition

Western Regional Legal Writing ConferenceLoyola Los Angeles ✪ August 2015

Deborah L. Borman ✪ Northwestern Law

The 1L Trauma

Emotional toxicity

Compassion Fatigue

State of Exhaustion and dysfunction as a result of prolonged exposure to compassion stress.

--Figley, 1995.

Secondary Traumatic Stress

• Experiencing stress indirectly as a result of either a specific event or a series of events that happens to another, such as a family member, friend, client, or STUDENT.

• Sometimes one situation can have a long-lasting effect.

BURNOUT

Exhausting of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. Something that builds to a breaking point and the stress and frustrations comes from all types of work-related sources.

Signs of Compassion

Fatigue

• Insomnia

• Irritability

• Avoidance

• Hypervigilance

• Exhaustion

• Diminished sense of enjoyment

• Frustration

• Depression

Impact of Compassion

Fatigue

• Physical / Somatic

• Personal life

• Relationships

• Work Performance

Internal Stressors

We all bring our past to our work:

• Schemas and beliefs; stigma

• Social support systems (positive and negative)

• History of trauma and illness

• Families and close relationships

• Economic situation

External Stressors: Organizational Factors

• Lack of good management

• Isolation at work

• Lack of control over work/outcomes

• Interaction with students

• Role conflicts

• Perceived unfairness in rewards

Compassion Fatigue

Means

Compassion Satisfaction

Coping Strategies

• Do no self-harm

• Seek out peer support

• Self-care with calming activities

Coloring Mandalas

Carl Jung had clients color mandalas as method of focus and to allow the subconscious to let go:

“. . . it is easy to see how the severe pattern imposed by a circular image of this kind compensates the disorder of the psychic state.”

--Carl Jung

Let Us Color

Thank You Loyola L.A.!