CT Self-Care & Compassion Fatigue Flashcards

Compassion fatigue in thanatology professionals is best defined as:

Answer: Emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged empathic engagement with grieving clients

Compassion fatigue is the cumulative emotional and physical exhaustion arising from the ongoing empathic cost of caring for individuals who are suffering.

The term 'secondary traumatic stress' was coined by which researcher?

Answer: Charles Figley

Charles Figley coined secondary traumatic stress to describe trauma symptoms in helping professionals caused by indirect exposure to clients' traumatic experiences.

Which of the following is a PRIMARY symptom of compassion fatigue in grief professionals?

Answer: Emotional numbness, detachment, and reduced capacity for empathy

Emotional numbness and detachment are hallmark symptoms as the professional's empathic capacity becomes depleted through cumulative exposure to client suffering.

Vicarious trauma, as distinct from compassion fatigue, refers specifically to:

Answer: Cumulative transformation of the helper's worldview and cognitive schemas from exposure to clients' traumatic material

Vicarious trauma involves a fundamental, lasting shift in the helper's cognitive schemas, worldview, and sense of meaning from repeated exposure to traumatic client narratives.

Which assessment tool is commonly used to measure compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue in helping professionals?

Answer: ProQOL (Professional Quality of Life Scale)

The ProQOL measures compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress across three subscales designed specifically for helping professionals.

The phrase 'the cost of caring' is associated with which concept in grief and helping professions?

Answer: Compassion fatigue as described by Charles Figley

Charles Figley used 'the cost of caring' as an alternative description for compassion fatigue, reflecting the emotional price helpers pay for sustained empathic engagement.