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I have taken a leadership style quiz and found out I am a "Transformative Leadership Style," which states that this style has the highest burnout rate due to not attaining "transformation." As a transformative leader working with incarcerated populations, I know it will be tough to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, as well as secondary trauma. I am determined to "pencil myself in" to my practice/sessions and give myself ample opportunity to decompress, assess what I am feeling, and release the negative and debilitating thoughts.

Knowing this about myself and the populations I plan to work alongside, I choose to engage in yoga (chronic illness), prayer and meditation, and traveling. My favorite thing to experience is different climates and cultures. I am drawn to food, culture, forests, beaches, and mountain ranges... Ok, all of nature!

At the beginning of each year, we take our kids to "the mountains" and throw ourselves back into homeostasis and free our minds for the upcoming year. The kids seem to love "that thing" mom wants us to do. :-)

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Self-care is a crucial aspect of the helping profession and an ethical obligation for reasons including, but not limited to, regulating the emotions of the counselor who hears and sees trauma and recurring events daily. This can lead to compassion fatigue or burnout in worst cases. Self-care models healthy behavior to the client, which can enhance the effectiveness of therapy and instill hope. In the end, we all strive to keep our passion alive and do what we love to do: help others.

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The greatest takeaway from the resources was the importance of Wellness and Empathy Balance concerning compassion fatigue and Counselor Impairment.

Wellness is an "individual's holistic approach to health over the lifespan."

Empathy balance involves "entering the client's world without getting lost in it."

Impairment is the "presence of a chronic illness or severe psychological depletion that can prevent professionals from being effective."

A client/coworker may observe a counselor's wellness, exposing how appearance, body language, business organization, life management skills, and perceived success factor into a client's ability to trust the counselor and move forward to success. If the counselor is not equipped with what he/she asks his/her clients to aspire to attain, why would anyone believe in the therapeutic process?

Empathy balance is necessary to prevent compassion fatigue, but it is likely a struggle, and early intervention is key.

Impairment was the most influential to me because a counselor may suffer from a chronic illness that makes it uncomfortable to work long hours and in stressful situations. I am one of those individuals who must be aware of possible psychological depletion due to medical issues concurrent with the stress of trauma, possibly resulting in secondary trauma. Being mindful of my state of mind every day is key to being the best human I can be at that moment.