As I walked towards my car the other night, a wave of melancholy washed over me. I had just run into my son’s music teacher from High School. He (the teacher) looked the same. I looked the same (in my opinion). But…nothing was the same. My mind quickly did the math and I realized that… Read More Don’t Leave…Even Though You Have To
It’s raining today, thankfully, and I remember hearing someone, once, liken rain to tears. I loved that image. I love tears. I hate tears. This past weekend, I participated in a year end retreat with The Monterey Bay Meditation Studio. In reflecting on 2021, I saw my trail of tears, within the context of the… Read More The Sky Is Crying – I Am Crying
This anecdote is personal. It illustrates how work can seep into the personal when we least expect it. When I am in my professional role – as an interpreter or as a clinician – my boundaries are very well established. The stories I hear make their way in but only to a point – even… Read More When Work Becomes Personal
You don’t need to be a first responder or healthcare service provider to be vulnerable to compassion fatigue. The daily onslaught of tragic news from around the globe impacts a broad swath of the population that may or may not be aware of how they are affected. Unwittingly, we may be left wondering when the… Read More Compassion Fatigue – When Tragedy Strikes Repeatedly
Here is a follow up to our last post on compassion fatigue and the task of doing an inventory of past or current experiences that have had an impact on us. I am including an example of how I approached my inventory: Macro-look at experiences that contributed to cumulative fatigue over time: Medical visits (clinical,… Read More #3 Compassion Fatigue: Let’s Dig Deeper
Helping professions, like healthcare and interpreting, are noble pursuits whose core function, simply put, is to assist others in meeting a vital need. Fueled with finely-developed technical skills and a strong desire to be of service, healthcare professionals embark on a soul-journey to “make a difference” in the lives of those with whom we work.… Read More #1 The Cost of Caring – Compassion Fatigue and the Healthcare Interpreter
Through My Mind's Eye 