Description

1.25 CE Hours.

Exposure to vicarious trauma can be considered an inherent risk for all mental health practitioners, who often work long hours to serve the most vulnerable populations. The risk of vicarious traumatization, burnout and compassion fatigue is high. Doctoral-level psychology trainees are particularly susceptible, as they face vicarious traumatization while navigating the complex demands of graduate training, and often doing so for the first time. Juggling multiple roles, academic and clinical stressors, and frequent evaluation intensifies this risk.

This training targets supervisors, providing tools to identify, assess, and intervene to mitigate burnout and compassion fatigue among trainees, ultimately fostering resilience and bolstering trainee capacity for sustainable practice.

Learning Objectives

Attendees will be able to:

• Identify signs of compassion fatigue and burnout among themselves and their supervisees.
• Select and utilize assessment tools to comprehensively understand experiences of compassion fatigue and burnout.
• Describe evidence-based strategies to mitigate compassion fatigue and burnout among mental health trainees.

Presented by Dr. Rena Pazienza

Rena Pazienza, PhD, LMHC, specializes in working with compassion fatigue among mental health providers, healthcare workers, and first responders. She also treats trauma & PTSD, grief & loss, and works with suicide pre- and post-vention. Dr. Pazienza brings 8+ years of experience using evidence-based practices to support mental health in teens and adults in her clinical practice and has experience providing consultation, supervision, and training.

Dr. Pazienza’s work as lead clinician with a Mobile Crisis Assessment Team for 6 years and supervising others in this role, has deepened her understanding of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. She has published and presented on related topics and is a strong advocate for bolstering support among those in high-stress and trauma-exposed roles. With diverse experience across training settings, including college counseling, community mental health, the VAMC, and private psychiatric hospitals, Dr. Pazienza is passionate about promoting resilience and well-being within the mental health community.