Session: Types of Grief and Compassion Fatigue
Presenter: Akiko Garcia, MSW, CVHDP
Session Description:
This session aims to define, discuss, and reframe grief in the context of veterinary medicine. Various forms of loss and manifestations of grief will be introduced to provide insight on how the mourning process impacts veterinary employees and clients alike in a micro, mezzo, and macro context. The associations amongst trauma, grief, bereavement, compassion fatigue, and burnout will be explained, as well as methods to combat compassion fatigue.
Learning objectives
1. Define trauma, grief, bereavement, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
2. Demystify the misconceptions vs realities of trauma, grief, and bereavement.
3. Reformulate the perception of loss and grief as a diverse spectrum.
4. Expand awareness on how mourning impacts compassion fatigue and burnout rate.
5. Deepen empathy between clients, veterinary professionals, and the self during emotionally vulnerable or stressful times.