Sustaining real, compassionate care in the face of pandemic exhaustion, technology, documentation, time pressure, patient trauma and fatigue.

Who’s it for?

This training aims to improve wellbeing and personal resilience of healthcare professionals by teaching skills to deal with distressing emotional situations as they occur at work and at home.

Self-compassion practices can be used when self-care is actually needed; on the spot, while at work, with patients and colleagues.

Background

The SCHC course was developed in 2020. It is a 6-hr evidence-based healthcare adaptation of Mindful Self-Compassion programme (MSC), the empirically supported program of Dr. Kristin Neff at (University of Texas) and Dr. Chris Germer (Harvard Medical School). 

Burgeoning research is showing that self-compassion skills can be of particular benefit to health care professionals allowing them to experience more satisfaction in their caregiving roles, less stress, and more emotional resilience.  Self-compassion skills are trainable and build capacity to continue to meet stressful challenges. Initial small study investigation (N=58, N=23) has demonstrated that the programmes program was found to:

o Decrease: Depression, stress, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout

o Increase:  Job satisfaction, self-compassion, mindfulness, compassion for others.

Format - What’s the course like?

The course is run weekly over 6 weeks. Each session is 1 hour. Participants are supported to learn

o   How self-compassion and mindfulness can be integrated into the healthcare professional role.

o   Strategies to avoid emotional exhaustion

o   Techniques to increase self-compassion at work and everyday life

o   To practice at least one skill from each session to care for yourself emotionally while caring for others who are suffering.

Week 1: What is Self-Compassion

Introduction:  What is Self-Compassion?  Misgivings and research about Self-Compassion.

 Week 2: Practicing Self-Compassion

The physiology of self-compassion.  Self-compassion break.  Backdraft.  Moments of mindfulness.

 Week 3: Discovering Your Compassionate Voice

Self-criticism and safety.  Motivating ourselves with compassion.

Week 4: Self-Compassion and Resilience

Strategies for meeting difficult emotions.

Week 5: Self-Compassion and Burnout

Stress and Burnout.  Compassion with Equanimity.

 Week 6: Making it Count

Core Values for Healthcare Professionals. Setting an intention.  Practice going forward.