VA social work leadership and compassion fatigue during the 2017 hurricane season

Abstract

Disasters are a worldwide phenomenon. Social workers in mental health settings play a pivotal role in providing relief to individuals/families victimized by disasters, yet, how social workers ease their own burden during these stressful times is understudied. Feelings of stress, anticipation and anxiety that often accompany disaster response can lead to exhaustion or eventually compassion fatigue. Leadership often has mechanisms in place to provide support to their workforce, however, during disasters, these mechanisms may be consumed by other responsibilities. This case study analysis seeks to fill a gap in the literature by assessing how social work leaders from several U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities described experiences relating to compassion fatigue among their staff during the 2017 hurricane season. Leadership reported that work, home and family concerns impacted the degree to which social workers experienced compassion fatigue. The mental health impact of emotions accompanying preparedness and additional tasks in the context of disasters outside the scope of practice impact the job and caring duties of social workers.

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