Self-Care Toolkit

Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout in Students in Practicum Placements: Focus on Social Work Students

Several studies have examined students’ risks for compassion fatigue (Barlow & Hall, 2007; Harr & Moore, 2011). Social work students often have limited free time due to school, work, and personal responsibilities and experience high amounts of stress as a result of the combined pressure of these responsibilities and their identities as emerging professionals (Radey & Figley, 2007; Ying, 2011). Interning in the field adds to this stress. While Barlow & Hall (2007) found that practicum learning instructors reported noticing that students were sometimes distressed by client circumstances, they also noted that instructors might underestimate their responses and fail to recognize situations that are overwhelming for students. And though students can be impacted by working with clients and may experience large amounts of stress as a result of being in practicum learning placements, they were reluctant to share or process experiences with practicum learning instructors or faculty liaisons (Barlow & Hall, 2011). As a result, students were found to be at higher risk for burnout and at similar risk for compassion fatigue as helping professionals (Harr & Moore, 2011).

Individuals are encouraged to engage in self-care, including eating correctly, exercising, taking time off, having personal therapy, and spending time with friends and family (Radey & Figley, 2007). 

What agencies/supervisors can do

Limit or diversify caseloads to student social workers

Provide adequate supervision

Supervisors must be aware of the effects of compassion fatigue

Screenings for field social workers to identify early stages of CF, VT, Burnout

The supervisor helps workers deal with stress, sustains workers' morale, cultivates teamwork, builds and sustains workers' commitment to the organization, and addresses work-related problems of conflict and frustration (Garthwait, 2011; Kadushin & Harkness, 2002). 

A positive relationship between supervisor and worker is important and consists of three elements (1) rapport (general ability to get along); (2) caring (as evidenced in the communication by the supervisor of concern for the social worker); and (3) trust (the ability of the social worker to be open about mistakes and failures as well as successes) (Shulman, 1993, 1995).