From Empathy to Compassion: The Science of Self-Care and Well-Being in Healthcare Settings

The experience of compassion involves recognizing the suffering of someone else coupled with a desire and commitment to alleviate that suffering. It is fundamental to human development and has lied at the heart of practices designed to cultivate the qualities of generosity, selflessness, and mutual aid for thousands of years. Deep-rooted in our physiology, compassion is woven throughout the quilt of the human experience; we come wired for it. Nonetheless, it has been described as an experience that leads to emotional and physical distress, apathy, disengagement, and secondary trauma. However, insights from modern neuroscience and mind-body research uncover a different story, indicating the phenomenon of compassion fatigue does not exist. This interactive science-backed workshop explores recent discoveries that reveal compassion cultivates resilience and promotes psychological and physical well-being. Findings that illuminate the effects of compassion on the autonomic and central nervous system will be shared, as well as research on the experience of empathic distress fatigue, for which compassion seems to be the antidote.  

Participants will learn skills for shifting from empathy to compassion to decrease the risk for fatigue, burnout, and vicarious trauma, as well as strategies for maintaining a healing presence and staying in service when witnessing human suffering. Participants will have the opportunity to assess their levels of mindfulness, self-care, empathy, self-compassion, and professional quality of life. 

• Describe the human stress response- how we are wired and move through the world.
• Define empathy and compassion from a neurobiological perspective.
• Illustrate the difference between compassion fatigue vs. empathic distress fatigue. 
• Assess level of empathy, self-compassion, self-care, mindfulness, and professional quality of life.
• Apply mindfulness, stress resilience, and compassion skills training.

As a leader in integrative health education, MUIH is uniquely positioned to offer customized workshops and training programs for your organization to foster a healthier work environment. Through a collaborative process, we will work closely with you to create a program targeted to your desired results.

A training program with MUIH is designed similar to the way we approach health prevention and treatment: with a holistic and customized approach. Together, through a mutually beneficial partnership, we aim to create a healthier workplace and a healthier world.

Program outcomes are co-created and refined with the client during the Program Kickoff and Needs Assessment Meetings. A custom Training Program Proposal will be provided to you to create a program that meets your unique needs, which may include the following deliverables:

• Initial Training Consultation
• Interactive Learning Session(s) (onsite – date, location & frequency TBD by the Client & MUIH)
• Integrated Group Coaching Session(s) (virtual or onsite)
• Certificates of Completion & CEUs
• Training Workbook / Job Aide (may be customized to organization scenarios)
• Pre-and-Post Workshop Online Learning Activities and Discussions with Participants
• Post-Program Completion Debrief Meeting with Leadership Team
• Post-Learning Session Evaluation Summary Report