Healing Resources for Helpers
As helpers it takes incredible focus and energy to truly show up for those who need our care and guidance. The compassion and sensitivity that we embody can create a susceptibility to vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, burn out, and moral injury. Building awareness of the need for balance or caring safely as a helper takes experience, mentorship, and a self-compassionate approach to, at times managing the unmanageable, especially in times of cut-backs, employer demands, and escalating trauma.
Self-compassion involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a “stiff upper lip” mentality, you stop to tell yourself “this is really difficult right now,” how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment? Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?
This is the human condition, a reality shared by all of us. The more you open your heart to this reality instead of constantly fighting against it, the more you will be able to feel compassion for yourself and all your fellow humans in the experience of life.
- Dr. Kristen Neff
Our Approach
The Golden Flower approach to supporting our fellow helpers offers a combination of evidence-based psychotherapy, as well as a personalized holistic treatment plan.
Community Partners
Depending on assessed needs and expressed goals, recommended modalities can include Traditional Chinese Medicine and other integrative health approaches such as naturopathic care
Support for the Front Line
Fear and sensitivity to judgment can be a barrier to getting the right kind of help at the right time. We have been supporting first responders, nurses, social workers, teachers, and other folks on the front-lines for years.
Personal Experience & Growth
We have personally experienced burn-out and vicarious trauma and have learned how to expand the team to amplify the healing impact of integrative care. For example, we are learning how somatic healing and yin yoga can have an incredible impact on calming one's traumatized nervous system.
Our approach focuses an accurate assessment of compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burn-out to create a baseline and guidance for treatment
proquol.org
Compassion satisfaction is simply about the pleasure you derive from being able to do your work well. Compassion fatigue often enters when we lose hope of progress and lack needed supports to care safely and function at a humane pace. Dr. Gabor Maté teaches us how the root is often self-compassion fatigue
drgabormate.com
You are a precious resource that requires replenishment, self-compassion, and protection.
