Lindsay Dutton on Compassion Fatigue
Our OTAC trainer and Mental Health First Aid instructor Lindsay Dutton was recently invited to contribute an article to The International Journal for Direct Support Professionals, and we sat down with her to talk to her about it.
The Arc Oregon: Your article is called “Flipping the Switch: Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction.” What is compassion fatigue?
Lindsay Dutton: Compassion fatigue is the profound emotional and physical erosion that takes place when helpers are unable to refuel and regenerate. Some people may relate to the concept of having ‘no spoons left to give’. I will save the details for the article, but symptoms can be physical, behavioral, or psychological.
The Arc: Why is compassion fatigue so common in social services?
LD: For one, I think lack of training about the importance of taking care of yourself. This is especially true when caring for others.
Second, while it may seem obvious, this is a field all about helping humans. Humans are complex. It’s a field where you can do everything you can and still feel like it isn’t enough. Not enough resources, money, time, etc. It’s exhausting!
Third, the people who go into this field have big hearts and we tend to put our needs second. Some of us really struggle with the concept of ‘putting on your mask first’. This ties right back to the first point and the importance of self-care.
The Arc: How has compassion fatigue affected your own life?
LD: Compassion Fatigue has touched my personal life for as long as I can remember. Personally, I supported my mom who lived with Bi-polar type 1 and then developed dementia. Advocating for my Mom felt like a never-ending cycle of overwhelm, defeat, and frustration. She passed in 2024, and I have been grieving not just her passing, but what could have been if our mental health system was better. Oregon is in last place, and I can say that my experiences reflect that.
This brings up another important point. If you are in a caretaker role in your personal life, it’s even more critical to have a good self-care plan. You are at a higher risk of developing compassion fatigue if you are working in a helping profession while also caretaking in your personal life.
The Arc: What do you wish you’d known about compassion fatigue earlier?
LD: I wish I had known about the importance of self-care, well-being and what that truly means. Looking at the list of symptoms can be daunting, but they can have a serious impact on your life. Over time toxic stress and trauma can have serious effects on both our mental and physical health.
I put so much pressure on myself to do everything perfectly and to have all the answers, but you can’t. And that’s okay! Maybe that’s turning 40 talking.
The Arc: Why did you decide you needed to tackle compassion fatigue as a trainer?
LD: When I was doing my mentorship to become a trauma-informed care trainer, I knew that I wanted to try to create something specifically for Case Managers and Providers. Learning about trauma can be a lot, it’s a heavy topic, but I think it can be approached in a way that finds balance between awareness and providing solutions and support.
Also, tackling small bits at a time, such as compassion fatigue, makes the information more digestible. This information is also counterbalanced by the other side- compassion satisfaction – and the role resilience plays. This training is both my literal and figurative ode to the helpers. I care deeply about caring for those that are caring for others and that, ultimately, is my ‘why’.
The Arc: This article was born from a training you developed called “Flipping the Switch.” How is a 90-minute training going to help someone better handle such a difficult problem?
LD: A 90-minute training is only going to do so much, and I don’t expect people to leave suddenly feeling like everything is fine and they don’t have a care in the world.
However, what I worked very hard to do was present a difficult topic while also spending an equal amount of time on ways we can address the problem. Sometimes you go to a training and hear about the problem, but not enough time is spent talking about what we can do about it. I’m also very clear in the training (and article) that this is only one part of a much larger change that needs to happen within our organizations and systems.
I’ve also received positive feedback about providing the time and space to create a support plan. I save about 10 minutes or so at the end for people to think of 5 things they can do to provide support during times of overwhelm and high stress. If nothing else, I hope the 90-minutes provides a break from their work and time to connect with others doing the same work. That connection and reminder that you aren’t alone can also help build some of that resilience.
The Arc: What advice about compassion fatigue would you give someone just starting in social services?
LD: Many of us are so excited and energized about the opportunity to help people and make a difference when we enter the field. Don’t forget to take care of yourself! You will be more effective and help more people if you also make time to care for yourself.
Advocate for your needs and take advantage of training opportunities. Learning, in a safe space, about how trauma and toxic stress affect us can be life changing. It can also be triggering and a heavy lift, so always prioritize your well-being.
You can read Lindsay’s article “Flipping the Switch: Compassion Fatigue to Compassion Satisfaction” and watch a webinar about it at the National Alliance For Direct Support Professionals website here. You can also sign up for the next Flipping the Switch training by visiting our events page.