Burnout and compassion fatigue can look very similar. Burnout usually comes from overwork and low job satisfaction while compassion fatigue is more associated with vicarious or secondary trauma. Compassion fatigue usually comes on suddenly while burnout occurs slowly over time. When thinking about the differences in their symptoms, burnout usually involves resentment towards the job or coworkers, and can feel like wanting or needing a new job or a different job. Compassion fatigue involves self-contempt, as opposed to contempt of others and it can feel like you\u2019re not working hard enough or doing enough to help others. It can also leave you feeling like the therapeutic relationship is uneven, with you giving much more to your work and clients than you receive in job satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite these differences, they do have some overlap of symptoms. Both involve feelings of job satisfaction, bringing \u201cwork home\u201d (an inability to stop thinking about work during off-hours), mental and physical exhaustion, headaches, trouble sleeping, poor eating habits, depression, and anxiety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certain clinicians are more likely to develop compassion fatigue. If you work with victims of trauma often, if your caseload is made up primarily of severely depressed clients, or if you work heavily with grief and bereavement, you\u2019re at higher risk of developing compassion fatigue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n