Caregiver Counseling

Caregiver Counseling can Help With Empathy/Compassion Fatigue & Burnout

How Can We Help?

Self Compassion

Caring for a sick child, a sick adult child, a sick spouse a sick parent, whatever it may be is always difficult and it’s natural and extremely easy to start being hard on ourselves and only see our shortcomings. Being compassionate with yourself, pushing our maladaptive thought, and focusing on productive/compassionate self-talk is going to be a powerful tool for combating compassion fatigue. We can work with you and help guide you on the long path to self-compassion, for like most things in life, it’s quite the journey and easier said than done.

Learn to Set Effective Boundaries Through Caregiver Counseling in Raleigh, NC

At first setting, boundaries may seem selfish and may seem off-putting. But like it says in the graphic above, “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. You simply have to take care of yourself first to be a caregiver. We can help you analyze your role as a caregiver, your loved one, and the people in both of your lives and assist you in coming up with and maintaining appropriate boundaries. Boundaries can be difficult, and coming up with them is one thing, upholding them can be a whole different story.

Practice Self-Care with Help From Caregiver Counseling

Even though it’s counterproductive, when we get stressed or overwhelmed, self-care is often the first thing to do. Self-care is essential for everyone, but when you’re caring for someone else, they are relying on you to take of yourself too. Self-care is often such a personalized recipe, an example would be for some people relaxing with a puzzle would be a form of self-care, while for others that would be stressful. Finding what relaxes and rejuvenates you is essential to keeping you a healthy person and caregiver. We can help you find what self-care is for you and how to keep it a constant in your life so you can be the best individual and caregiver you can be.

Burnout Definition:

Burnout is a state of emotional exhaustion that results from feeling like you are failing, wearing out, or feeling totally used up due to too many demands on one’s energy, strength, or resources.

Causes of Caregiver Burnout May Include:

(according to hopkinsmedicine.org)

• Emotional demands resulting from the care receivers’ condition. An extreme degree of physical and emotional care is needed. There is just no way for you to make him or her “well.”

• Conflicting demands. The care receiver has needs, spouses have needs, children have needs, and employers and co-workers have needs. You have needs. Trying to meet the needs of everyone creates conflict and stress.

• The ambiguity of roles. Sometimes caregivers do not know exactly what their roles and responsibilities are in relation to others around them.

• Workload. There’s just too much to do.

• Conflicting policies and procedures. These can prevent professional caregivers from doing what they believe is appropriate and family caregivers from receiving the services they want and need.

• Lack of privacy. There is no time to be alone. There may be many people in and out of your home or your life assisting with some facet of caregiving all the time.

These factors may contribute to feelings of:

• Lack of mastery. Feeling that you have no control, or that you don’t have adequate skills or knowledge in this area.

• Lack of autonomy. Feeling that you don’t have independence or “say so” in your life.

• Failure to achieve goals. Feeling you can’t succeed, or that you’re a failure.

Compassion Fatigue Definition:

The extreme state of tension and stress can result in feelings of hopelessness, indifference, pessimism, and overall disinterest in other people’s issues. A secondary traumatic stress disorder that results from exposure to another person’s traumatic experience(s) and creates high levels of emotional stress.

Warning Signs of Compassion Fatigue in Family Caregivers

• Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and drained

• Avoidance and not wanting to be around your loved one (choosing to work late, daydreaming about no longer having to care for them, etc.)

• A decrease in patience and tolerance

• Angry outbursts that are uncharacteristic of your behavior

• Cynicism and hopelessness

• Heightened anxiety

• Impaired ability to make care decisions

• Difficulty sleeping

• Physical symptoms, such as headaches or gastrointestinal issues