Self Care for Behavioral Health Professionals

Although work stress and burnout are present in every occupation, human service professionals, who spend their work lives attending to the needs of others, are at the highest risk. The purpose of this course is to orient the participants to the ramifications of not taking care of themselves and to promote strategies for enhancing health and well-being as individuals while working as professionals. In addition, members of the public may use this course to enhance their personal knowledge of the subject matter presented.

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Distinguish the difference between stress and burnout.
2. Outline the costs of stress and burnout.
3. Describe deep breathing, imagery, and meditation and how they may be used to assuage stress and burnout.
4. Discuss the importance of making time for self care.
5. Identify special considerations for self care amongst recovering professionals (both addiction and mental health).
6. Outline the self-assessment of compassion fatigue and satisfaction.
7. Describe several promising self-care strategies for optimal personal and work functioning.

This 4-hour continuing education course is available for download for professional development; if continuing education credit is desired, please see instructions included in eBook.