DIGEST - Volume 9, Issue 4- FULL DIGEST

2 TPC Digest 2 | TPC Digest C ounselors are responsible for protecting their most valuable therapeutic tool: themselves. Researchers have found the therapeutic relationship is one of the greatest predictors of favorable treatment outcomes for clients. Therefore, counselors have a professional and ethical duty to monitor themselves and others for signs of impairment. Counselor impairment is when there is a profound negative impact on a counselor’s professional functioning that puts clients at risk of harm or reduced care. Commonly studied phenomena of impairment include compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and burnout. These traditional notions of impairment lie in the fatigue and secondary trauma associated with the counselor–client relationship as well as occupational stressors that often accompany mental health work. Social justice is the fifth force in counseling. Counselors are asked to answer the calls to extend beyond their roles inside of the counseling room and to take on advocacy roles. The American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Advocacy Competencies guide professional counselors to engage in sociopolitical advocacy for issues that affect clients on the microlevel and the macrolevel. This occurs through an understanding of the systemic, environmental, and political factors that impact clients in addition to an immersion in advocacy and mechanisms for change. As such, counselor impairment is no longer limited to what occurs occupationally. The profession must consider the impairment that occurs globally. Global compassion fatigue (GCF) is the process by which an individual experiences extreme preoccupation and tension as a result of concern for those affected by global events without direct exposure to their traumas through clinical intervention. GCF differs from traditional notions of impairment in both source and nature of the experience. Counselors are humans existing in a world that contains constant reminders of global traumas, such as natural disasters, threats to civil rights, violence, terrorist attacks, and animal welfare concerns. Biology and evolution fuel the human drive to connect with one another, which becomes particularly complicated when these humans work in a helping profession rooted in empathy. In addition, the impact of media and social media has an effect on counselors’ experience of GCF. Researchers have found that exposure to global events through media negatively influences emotional well-being and stress levels. Counselors sensitive to global events who also engage in regular media and social media use increase their risk of experiencing GCF. The ACA Code of Ethics guides counselors to monitor themselves for impairment and to engage in self-care for maintaining professional functioning. This provides implications for considering GCF through a wellness lens. Symptoms of GCF can look similar to traditional compassion fatigue and might include emotional and physical exhaustion associated with care for others, desensitization to stories or experiences, poorer quality of care, feelings of depression or anxiety, increased stress, difficulty concentrating, and preoccupation. Understanding the source of these symptoms and taking appropriate action to manage emotional and cognitive responses to global issues are the responsibility of the counselor. In addition, GCF has implications for how counselors interface with media and social media and the potential to monitor this use as a form of wellness. Ariann Evans Robino, NCC, is an assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University. Correspondence can be addressed to Ariann Robino, 3301 College Avenue, Maltz Building, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, arobino@nova.edu. Ariann Evans Robino Global Compassion Fatigue A New Perspective in Counselor Wellness