Steph's Self-Care by Stephanie Ellis-Dearborn

Biggest "Take Away" Upon Reviewing Resources

sdearborn2 — 2023-10-24 13:42:05 UTC

After becoming involved in the foster care world, I learned about the term "secondhand trauma" and the signs to look out that you're affected by it. Reading about "secondhand depression" and how it "is distinct from both burnout and compassion fatigue because of two important reasons: severity and length of recovery" was very eye-opening to me because it is a path I never want to end up on (Hunter, 2016, pg. 4).

Secondly, the fact that self-care is discussed as an "ethical mandate" was important for me to internalize as I have long thought of this term lightly. Many resources from this module name self-care as a mandate but most importantly, the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics.

American Counseling Association (ACA). (2014). Code of Ethics.

Hunter, S.T. (2016). Beyond the breaking point: Examining the pieces of counselor burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondhand depression. VISTAS.

Reflection on Importance of Self-Care

sdearborn2 — 2023-10-24 13:42:14 UTC

"Self-care" has been a buzzword in the news and media for several years now so it's something that I did not take very seriously. It wasn't until the past few years that I truly understood the importance of taking a "mental health day" and I'll never go back! After reading the materials this week and seeing that self-care is an ethical mandate in order to keep up our professionalism and empathy in practice, I am looking forward to focusing on strategies that will work for me.

Personal Self-Care Strategies Identification & Description

sdearborn2 — 2023-10-24 13:42:24 UTC

A few strategies that I can begin utilizing to practice good self-care would be to establish boundaries for a healthy work and home life balance and step away from a situation if I need time to process. Although I have done a great job in the past five years or so with leaving work at work and being present at home, I tend to "rant" about my day and that leads to some distortion in my balance. Also, I have not encountered an extreme situation yet but, should the need arise, I have given myself permission to excuse myself or take time as needed if I become upset by a case.

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sdearborn2 — 2023-10-24 13:43:59 UTC

I go to the chiropractor once a month but I have thought about going to get a massage once a month as well because I carry a lot of stress in my neck and shoulders so this is something I would love to begin doing!

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sdearborn2 — 2023-10-26 20:43:17 UTC

I fell in love with cooking during the pandemic and I used to cook dinner frequently but my schedule has been too crazy to cook, especially in the fall, so I am looking forward to doing this more!