Healing the Caregiver

For clinicians treating seriously ill patients, the vulnerability stress symptoms may lead to a dark road leading to burnout as well as risk of suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, and exacerbation of personality disorders. In this paper, Milstein et al. present an elementary debriefing system, a psychotherapeutic approach, to be used by the affected individual. We are proposing that the individual caregiver systematically consider the following: the background of the situation; how it affects thinking and feeling; the troublesome element(s); how one is handling element(s); and an empathetic/empowering conclusion (BATHE). The paper posits the appeal for this framework is its simplicity and practicality in alleviating caregivers’ anguish in troublesome situations and complementing their awareness of their patients’ suffering.

Topics:
Effects on Clinician Health and Well-Being, Organizational Strategies

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