This document provides guidance on self-care for crisis workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. It discusses the risks of stress, burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma for these workers. It emphasizes that self-care is essential to preventing these conditions, maintaining effectiveness on the job, and promoting long-term successful crisis response outcomes. The document defines self-care as including self-awareness, self-regulation and balancing social connections. It provides tips for crisis workers' self-care including managing workloads, learning to delegate, transitioning from work, saying no, assessing trauma exposure, learning about compassion fatigue, forming peer support groups, and exercising.

1. The SelfCare Imperative:
A Guide for Ebola Crisis Workers
Rev. Dr. Avril L’Mour Weathers, Ph.D., QMHP
Ebola Task Force Training Initiative
The Avivyah Liberia, NGO

2. Trauma and Crisis Work
In light of recent and significant research
indicating that crisis workers engaged in
direct practice are likely to develop
symptoms of severe stress…

3. …it is imperative that crisis work
professionals devote greater attention to
and create a greater awareness of these
issues among employers and co-workers.
The Self Care Imperative

4. The critical key to prevention and management
of adverse conditions such as stress, burnout,
compassion fatigue, traumatic stress and/or
vicarious trauma is the practice of selfcare.
The Practice of Self-Care

5. Professional self-care in crisis work is an essential
component of the work; and, reflects a
commitment to become actively involved in
maintaining one’s effectiveness as a crisis worker.
Essential to Crisis Work

6. A repertoire of selfcare strategies is essential to
support the crisis worker in preventing,
addressing, and coping with the natural, yet
unwanted, consequences of helping.
Promoting Selfcare Practices

7. Selfcare is vital
…to the profession of crisis
work for several reasons:

8. Selfcare is Essential
…an essential component in competent,
compassionate, and ethical crisis work
practice, requiring time, energy, and
commitment.

9. Selfcare is Work Affirming
Promoting the practice of professional
Selfcare in crisis work acknowledges
the challenging and often overwhelming
nature of our work.

10. Preventing Unwanted Conditions
…placing emphasis on preventing
unwanted conditions and implying that
tools and strategies should be part of
one’s overall professional selfcare plan

11. …a “disorder that affects those who do their
work well” characterized by deep emotional and
physical exhaustion, symptoms resembling
depression and a shift in one’s sense of hope
FOR EXAMPLE
Compassion Fatigue

12. Ethics and Cultural Competence
Professional self-care is critical to
maintaining ethical and professional
behavior and providing competent
services in diverse settings.

13. Long Term Successful Outcomes
Actively preparing crisis workers with
knowledge and skill for overcoming
these experiences is key to long term
successful outcomes.

14. Baker (2003) conceptualized self-care as the
combination of three processes: self-awareness,
self-regulation, and balancing connections
between self, others, and the larger community.
What is SelfCare?

15. To be conscious, moment-by-moment, of one’s
own existence, surroundings, potential,
limitations; being mindful of your own thought
and action, being attentive to the self by showing
care for your own needs.
Self-awareness

16. To be in control of your own life
circumstances, regulating or adapting or
modifying thought and behaviors to align
with an enhanced quality of life.
Self-regulation

17. Never allow your external
connections to dominate your
internal life…find your balance.
Balancing Social Connections

18. Common Stress Reactions
can be Behavioral,
Physical, Psychological
and/or Social

19. Difficulty Thinking
 Memory problems
 Disorientation and confusion
 Slow thought processes
 Difficulty setting priorities/making
decisions
 Loss of objectivity

20. Behavioral
 Increase or decrease in activity level
 Substance use or abuse (alcohol or drugs)
 Difficulty communicating or listening
 Irritability, outbursts of anger, frequent
arguments

21. Physical
 Sweating or chills
 Tremors or muscle twitching
 Being easily startled
 Chronic fatigue or sleep disturbances
 Immune system disorders

22. Psychological/Emotional
 Feeling heroic, euphoric, or invulnerable
 Denial
 Anxiety or fear
 Depression
 Guilt
 Apathy

23. Social
 Isolation
 Blaming
 Difficulty in support or help
 Inability to experience pleasure

24. 12 Selfcare Tips
for
Crisis Workers

25. #1. Take Stock
What’s on your plate?

26. #2 Start a SelfCare
Idea Collection

27. #3 Find time for
yourself every day –
Rebalance your workload

28. #4 Delegate
- learn to ask for help at
home and at work

29. #5 Have a transition
from work to home

30. #6 . Learn to say no
(or yes) more often

31. #7 . Assess your
Trauma Inputs

32. #8 . Learn more about
Compassion Fatigue
and Vicarious Trauma

33. #9 Consider Forming
a Crisis Worker
Peer Support Group

34. #10 Attend Workshops
and/or
Professional Training
Regularly

35. #11 Consider working
part time
(at this type of job)

36. #12 Exercise
The key to actually increasing physical exercise
is to be realistic in the goals we set out for
ourselves. If you don’t exercise at all, aiming to
walk around the block twice a week is realistic