Series - Editorial Fellowship: Transforming Volunteerism and Work

When helpers need help: compassion fatigue on the frontlines

Author Shannon VanRaes
Only 13 per cent of Canadians felt empathic two years into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why It Matters

Compassion fatigue can affect a personโ€™s mental, physical and psychological wellbeing, but there are strategies frontline workers and their employers can use to recover and recharge.

Kelle Greene has seen a lot in her 33 years at theย Winnipeg Humane Society, but it wasnโ€™t until organizational restructuring brought the animal lover into close contact with difficult cases that she started to notice her mental health was being impacted. โ€œI had become attached to a couple of animals, and then, as we sometimes do, we had to make the really tough decision to euthanize them for humane reasons,โ€ said the director of foster and volunteer services.

Join a community of 2000+ impact-oriented professionals like you. Get full access to this story and all Future of Good content, including tickets to our digital events and networking, with a membership.