11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, January 7
Presented by PWV’s Rev. Dr. Dana W. Sutton

We’re all familiar with the concept of “burnout,” I would imagine. We can get burned out on anything from meals to TV shows to the Christmas jingles that started before Halloween this year. A more serious kind of burnout can result from working without adequate rest or a sense of fulfillment. In recent years, the concept of “compassion fatigue” has caught on as a way of describing the kind of burnout that happens to “helpers” – not only those in helping professions, but other caregivers, including parents, people with chronically ill spouses/loved ones, and even volunteers. Originally used to label PTSD-like symptoms of disaster recovery and first responder personnel, compassion fatigue also describes longer term effects on those who give of themselves without regard to the cost or the need to monitor and refill their own reserves.

Ministry is one of those callings that invites this kind of burnout, but it is also one which tends to draw people who are already used to giving of themselves; their time, their energy, their money, and even their own dreams and aspirations. The scriptures challenge believers to “lay down their lives,” to become new people with new priorities – chiefly, to put God and others before ourselves. What often happens is that we prioritize God and others instead of ourselves. Yet even if we practice good basic self-care, we can still experience a kind of compassion fatigue anytime our efforts to help others – whether individually or in a church/community – are unsuccessful for any reason, including things that aren’t in any way related to our efforts.

I have certainly gone through periods of compassion fatigue more than once during my time in ministry, and these experiences filtered through my more recent life coaching perspectives (along with coaching lots of “helpers” through their own burnout) led me to create a webinar that I plan to share with anyone from our Presbytery (or, for that matter, any helpers you know) from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Monday, January 7.

Participants in the webinar will:

  • Recognize the symptoms and causes of compassion fatigue, and know that it is very common among those who do any kind of helping work.

  • Consider ways that our theology impacts our experience of compassion fatigue in ministry.

  • Hear about 3 areas of potential change that can begin to break the cycle.

  • Learn about some specific practices you can start immediately, as well as some other helpful resources.

  • Share in a brief “abundance” exercise.

They’ll also receive a copy of a resource I created, called a “Compassion Recovery Journal,” which offers a self-directed process for daily reflection, prayer, and practices. There is no cost for the webinar, which will be hosted on Zoom, which requires a one-time free installation of software. Zoom works on all computer, phone, and tablet platforms. You can download Zoom ahead of time or use the link on the day of the webinar – just plan to give yourself a few extra minutes!

To sign up, please visit www.suttoncoaching.com/pwv. For more information, please contact Rev. Dr. Dana W. Sutton at dana@suttoncoaching.com. May you find peace and compassion – not only for others, but also for yourself – in this Advent season!