Today's animal welfare and veterinary medical professionals are pushing the boundaries of what's possible for animals, people, and the organizations that heal, connect, and protect them. If that's you, it's easy to feel like nothing you do is ever good enough. The work feels never-ending. Taking care of your own needs might seem impossible.

Transforming empathic distress (aka compassion fatigue) is absolutely possible for you and your staff. That's why the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida is once again offering its Compassion Fatigue Strategies online course with certified compassion fatigue educator Jessica Dolce.

This course will help you recognize signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma, learn how to reduce stress injury, increase your self-care and team-care practices, build compassion satisfaction, restore resiliency, and make successful changes in your life and in your organization.

By the End of Class You'll:

• Have 6 strategies to help you do the work you love, without being sidelined by compassion fatigue and burnout, so that you can feel energized and happy again
• Know which self-care and stress management practices work for you
• Have a personal mission statement so that you can feel clear about why you do this work even when it's challenging
• Have clear and manageable goals, so that you can make lasting changes in your sleep, diet, friendships, or anything else that really matters to you
• Feel comfortable using super simple meditation practices, so that you can restore your balance
• Clearly understand how and when to get professional mental health help, without shame
• Know how to collaborate with your staff and coworkers on these issues so that you can all benefit from what you learned in the course

Module 1: Understanding Compassion Fatigue and Workplace Stressors

You'll dive in deep to understand what Compassion Fatigue (aka empathic strain) is and what the symptoms are in individuals and in organizations. You'll get familiar with your own experiences, what factors contribute to CF, and assess your current levels of CF and burnout. And we'll look at other workplace stressors: grief, ethical distress, working conditions, personal circumstances, trauma, and burnout.

Module 2: Managing Stress and Increasing Self‐Care

This module is dedicated to understanding stress and self-care. You'll work to create a personalized system to help you monitor and manage your daily stress levels. Next you'll jump in to the importance of self-care and map out a variety of practices that can be used on the job and at home.

Module 3: Building Compassion Satisfaction and Resiliency

This module is dedicated to connecting to the rewards of our work and shifting your perspective to a more (realistically) positive outlook in order to increase your Compassion Satisfaction. You'll focus on resilience building techniques, including self-compassion and mindfulness practices, which will help you bounce back from the inevitable stress of your work.

Module 4: Taking Action and Committing to Change

In the final module, you'll be working on setting doable goals, collaboration with your team/supporting your staff, and crafting a personal mission statement (and an organizational mission statement) to help keep you motivated as you take your new skills into the future! Leaders will learn about vicarious trauma-informed organizations and how to reduce burnout.

Here's What You'll Get:

• The 6 Question Process (you'll learn six strategies that research has shown reduces and transforms compassion fatigue-related stress)
• All lessons available on day one, 100% online, learn at your own pace
• Four Modules with videos, integration activities, & readings
• Daily support and community on discussion boards
• Four live calls with Jessica Dolce, including a session on Stress First Aid skills
• One recorded call with Ellen Dolce, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
• 15 Continuing Education Credits

Schedule

The course begins February 6, 2023 and runs through April 2, 2023. Students typically spend an average of 2 hours per week (15-20 minutes a day) moving through the 4 learning modules of this course. This equates to about 1 module every 2 weeks, for a total of 8 weeks.

Designed for busy professionals, this online course is available 24/7 and self-paced for the flexibility you need. You'll have access to all of the class materials on day one and then you can do the work at your own speed.

Students will also get together for 4 live calls to practice stress reduction and mindfulness techniques – this is like 4 hours of self-care, built right into the class. Plus, we talk about what we're learning and experiencing on the discussion boards – so there's daily support from Jessica! Calls will be recorded and shared for those unable to attend the live sessions.

Registration

Registration for this course is completed via the University of Florida's Distance Learning department using the "Quick Registration" platform. Early Registration Fee: $200 through 12/31/22. Regular Registration Fee: $299 beginning 1/1/23. This course has a limited enrollment class size and may be filled prior to the course start date.

Continuing Professional Education Credits

This course is eligible for 15 credits of continuing professional education for veterinarians in Florida. Veterinarians from other states should contact their licensing board for guidance. The course has been approved for 15 hours of continuing professional education by Certified Animal Welfare Administrator (CAWA), and National Animal Control Association (NACA). Participants may download a Certificate of Completion after completing all course requirements.

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