"Empathy Fatigue" - Burnout in Helping Professions

We're All Mad Here

Burnout and empathy fatigue are highly under-recognised problems amongst those who work in helping professions. Mental health issues in these jobs are incredibly common. Today, my guest Caitlin addresses these topics. Caitlin is a mental health worker delivering rehab programs to inmates within the prison system. She has experienced significant mental health issues of her own due to the heavy emotional stress of her job. She speaks to us today about how her clients are ‘let down the by the system’, and how ‘offending doesn’t happen in a vacuum”. She will also talk about how carers and those in helping professions such as teaching, medicine, and mental health can end up burning out because of the high level of empathy required to do their jobs. She will share what helped her during her worst times, and offer a message of solidarity.