Souvenirs from the Journey: Building Compassion Satisfaction through Confidence, Competence, Connectedness, and a Climate of Compassion

Authors

  • E. Ayn Welleford Department of Gerontology, Virginia Commonwealth University

Keywords:

compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, COVID-19, self-care, self-compassion, trauma, resilience

Abstract

I didn’t realize mine was a story of building resiliency and compassion satisfaction until the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and I began to hear students, colleagues, friends, and family echo similar narratives from their journeys. Nurturing our compassion satisfaction is our first duty as helping professionals. Sometimes the best tools for resiliency in times of crisis come from the souvenirs from our own stories, hard won remembrances, personal lessons in narrative care. This article shares lessons learned for building compassion satisfaction: confidence in our big why, competence in our tools, connection with our village, and creating a climate of compassion for self and others so we may thrive in times of struggle.

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Published

2023-07-21

How to Cite

Welleford, E. A. (2023). Souvenirs from the Journey: Building Compassion Satisfaction through Confidence, Competence, Connectedness, and a Climate of Compassion. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 29(1), 35–46. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1946