Reference no: EM133878547

Assignment:

Working with children and teens who have experienced trauma can be emotionally and physically taxing for helpers and counselors. It is difficult to witness children and families who are suffering day after day. Helpers who do neglect their own personal needs may begin to experience burnout. Burnout is, "a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity" (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).

Some symptoms of burnout include:

• becoming cynical about the work you do
• being critical of clients and coworkers
• impatience and irritability
• difficulty concentrating
• lack of satisfaction with work
• difficulty letting go of work problems when you get home
• lack of energy
• trouble sleeping or sleeping excessively
• using alcohol, drugs, or food to cope with negative feelings
• unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches or stomach aches

To prevent burnout, it is crucial to engage in self-care. Self-care is the ability to attend to one's own needs so as to promote physical and emotional well-being.

This module's required reading, an article entitled "Dear mental health practitioners, take care of yourselves: A literature review on self-care." (you may need to click "Get Full-Text" button on right side) by Posluns & Gall (2020) which will give you a better understanding of the importance of self-care and some strategies to increase self-care in your own life.

References:

Mayo Clinic (n.d.) Job burnout: How to spot it and take action.

In this discussion, you will define and apply some concepts from this module's required reading. You will also practice assessing your own self-care needs and creating self-care plans for yourself and for a family. In your initial post, please complete all of the following.

Part A. In your own words (and drawing upon the reading), describe some of the possible negative effects that a person who works with traumatized children might experience. Next, describe some of the positive aspects of helping children who have experienced trauma.

Part B.

1. Complete this self-care assessment. (You do not need to share your specific answers.)
2. Use this template to create a self-care plan for the coming 3 months.
3. Finally, post what you have learned or any insights you have gained about your own self-care needs. How might creating a self-care plan help you in your current or future work and life (whether or not you work with traumatized children)?

Part C.

1. Imagine a family that has experienced trauma or toxic stress. (If you aren't familiar with a family, you can use this case study instead.) Briefly describe the challenges and strengths of the family.
2. Create a family self-care plan based on what you know about that family.