GIFT traveled to Safe Harbor this week to engage with their staff about finding joy in sometimes an overwhelming environment. Safe Harbor is a local non profit organization that strives to provide services for victims of domestic violence and their children and to eliminate cultural acceptance of domestic violence through a coordinated community response, prevention and education. During our time with them, we focused on creating a balance and tapping into our internal evaluation to recognize potential compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. The conversation left us in awe of our community and the passion it holds for giving back.
The conversation was focused on staying aware of and identifying potential ‘red flags’ that could lead to vicarious trauma or burnout. Rather than focusing on the negatives, we chose to tackled it from a strengths based approach; really honing in on the resiliency we are, as well as our clients are capable of.
Self-care is a common neglected area of our professional and personal development. There is a misconstrued idea that if we can, we should. Creating balance in our ‘pouring’ and ‘filling up’ leaves us able to be fully present and focused with our clients. So we challenge you to check in with your levels. After all, “you can’t pour from an empty cup”.
If you are in the helping field, here is an article that might speak to you!
