Caregivers and healthcare professionals worldwide are still dealing with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and professionals in these industries practicing compassion resiliency can help them cope with everyday work.
Through Phoebe Ministries’ long-withstanding partnership with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s Age-Friendly Lehigh Valley (AFLV), Resilient Lehigh Valley was invited to host a Compassion Resilience Training workshop to promote empathy and understanding throughout the organization. United Way’s Resiliency Project Coordinator, Missy Wise, facilitated the program.
Compassion reliance is the ability to maintain physical, emotional, spiritual and mental well-being while supporting others through daily struggles. Organizations that make a point to foster compassion resilience in the workplace experience reduced staff tu
rnover, higher employee satisfaction and improved team morale.
The session equipped 45 Phoebe Ministries leaders with training supported by the Compassion Resilience Toolkit that helps teams and individuals maintain empathy, strength and hope. Topics covered during the program include compassion fatigue, gratitude, self-compassion and ways to build self-compassion. The discussion also explored potential reasons behind leadership and staff compassion fatigue and ways to implement compassion resilience within Phoebe Ministries’ own team.
Team members in attendance expressed gratification with the training and its ideal timing following the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a post-training survey to evaluate the program’s impact, 100% of the participants gained new perspectives supporting individuals experiencing trauma and would recommend the training to others.
When asked to share their key takeaway from the workshop, one participant expressed “the importance of healthy leaders to attract and retain good, quality staff.”
Phoebe Ministries proudly partners with United Way for AFLV, which ensures a community where everyone in the Lehigh Valley has the opportunity to age successfully. Specifically outlined in the AFLV action plan, Phoebe Ministries’ goal for the partnership is to improve the community’s attitude toward hiring and recruiting seniors through civic participation and engagement. Lehigh and Northampton counties are certified members of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, establishing the Lehigh Valley as the nation’s first dual-county community to receive this certification.
To learn more about Resilient Lehigh Valley’s Trauma-Informed Professional Training courses, visit www.resilientlehighvalley.org/training-request/.
