Help for the Helper: The Psychophysiology of Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Trauma

How empathy can jeopardize a therapist's well-being.

Therapist burnout is a pressing issue, and self-care is possible only when therapists actively help themselves. The authors examine the literature from neurobiology, social psychology, and folk psychology in order to explain how therapists suffer from an excess of empathy for their clients, and then they present strategies for dealing with burnout and stress.