Learning portal
For enrolled learners, faculty, and partner sites
Enter the password from your welcome email. Lessons, slide decks, handouts, and post-tests are inside.
This lock is a courtesy, not security. Before launch the host must protect this folder (see CLAUDE.md). Nothing confidential belongs here until then.
CHW 104: Service Skills, Case Management and Documentation
104.5 Self-Care and Sustaining the Work
Burnout, secondary trauma, supervision and a self-care plan that lasts
Your materials
Slides (PowerPoint) Handout (Word)
For instructors
Facilitator guide Printable pre and post tests Quiz (LMS import)
What you will learn
- Describe burnout, compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress
- Recognize early warning signs of stress in yourself and coworkers
- Build a personal self-care plan with daily, weekly and crisis steps
- Name supports for workers: supervision, peers, EAP and 988
Start here
Who takes care of the people who take care of everyone else?
Lesson
Three kinds of wear and tear
- Burnout: WHO: chronic work stress that was not managed, causing exhaustion, distance from the job, and feeling less effective.
- Compassion fatigue: Feeling worn down from caring for people in pain, day after day.
- Secondary trauma: Stress that comes from hearing about other people's trauma. Signs can look like PTSD.
Warning signs to watch for
| Area | What it can look like |
|---|---|
| Body | Ongoing exhaustion, sleep problems, aches and pains |
| Feelings | Hopelessness, fear, guilt, anger |
| Thinking | Always on alert for danger; cynical about the work |
| Work | Avoiding clients, pulling away, downplaying serious events |
| Relationships | Withdrawing from family, friends and coworkers |
Burnout has upstream causes too
- What we see: Keisha, a CHW in Hough, is tired all the time, snaps at her kids, and dreads Monday calls.
- Why it happens (upstream): Big caseloads, short grant funding, low pay, little supervision, and living with the same violence and stress her clients face.
- What we can build on (assets): Reflective supervision, a peer support circle, her church, the agency EAP, a walking group, and coworkers who check in.
Build your self-care plan
Write it down and share it with someone you trust.
- Know your signs: List three signs that tell you stress is building.
- Daily habits: Rest, food, water, movement, and one thing that brings you joy.
- End-of-day ritual: A short walk, prayer, or music to leave work at work.
- Weekly connection: Time with family, faith community, friends or a peer group.
- Hard day plan: Who you call, what you do, and when you ask for time off.
- Check and adjust: Review the plan with your supervisor every few months.
We do not do this work alone
- Supervision: Regular time with your supervisor to talk about cases and how the work feels.
- Peer support: Coworkers who debrief together, especially after a crisis or a loss.
- EAP: Employee Assistance Programs offer free, confidential short-term counseling and referrals through many employers.
- 988 is for us too: Call, text or chat 988 any time you are in emotional distress. It is free and confidential.
Boundaries that protect your wellness
Wears you down
- Answering client texts at midnight
- Giving your personal number to everyone
- Saying yes to every extra task
- Carrying every case home in your head
Keeps you going
- Work phone off at the end of your shift
- Clients use the work line and the agency's after-hours plan
- Asking your supervisor to help set priorities
- An end-of-day ritual and a real day off
Situation: the coworker who is not okay
Situation: After a teen client in Slavic Village is shot, your coworker Darnell stops eating lunch with the team. He says, 'I'm fine,' but he has missed two visits and seems far away.
What can you do as a peer?
- Check in privately and listen without judging
- Share the EAP number and remind him 988 is for workers too
- Encourage him to talk with the supervisor about time or support
- If he talks about harming himself, stay with him and call 988
Talk it over
- What has helped you get through hard seasons in your life?
- What is one thing your workplace could change to reduce burnout?
- Who will be your self-care buddy during this program?
Study sheet
The big idea: Caring for ourselves and each other is part of the job, so we can serve our community for the long haul.
Key points
- Burnout comes from chronic work stress that was not managed; WHO calls it an occupational phenomenon.
- Secondary traumatic stress comes from hearing others' trauma and can look like PTSD.
- Warning signs include exhaustion, sleep problems, cynicism, hopelessness and avoiding clients.
- A self-care plan lists your signs, daily habits, supports and a hard day plan.
- Supervision, peer support and Employee Assistance Programs help workers carry the load.
- 988 is free, confidential and open to workers in emotional distress too.
Remember
- WHO burnout signs: exhaustion, mental distance or cynicism, reduced effectiveness
- 988: call, text or chat, any time
- Danger right now: call 911
- Work phone off at the end of your shift
Ask yourself
- What are my three earliest signs that stress is building?
- Who can I call on a hard day, and do they know that?
Vocabulary
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Burnout | A syndrome from chronic work stress that was not managed: exhaustion, distance from the job, and feeling less effective. |
| Compassion fatigue | Being worn down emotionally and physically from caring for people who are suffering. |
| Secondary traumatic stress | Emotional distress from hearing about another person's firsthand trauma. |
| Self-care | Everyday actions that protect your body, mind and spirit, such as rest, food, movement and connection. |
| Self-care plan | A written plan listing your stress signs, daily habits, supports and steps for hard days. |
| Reflective supervision | Supervision that makes room to talk about the feelings the work brings up, not only tasks. |
| Peer support | Coworkers helping each other by listening, debriefing and checking in. |
| Employee Assistance Program (EAP) | A workplace benefit offering free, confidential short-term counseling, referrals and follow-up. |
| 988 Lifeline | Free, confidential crisis support by call, text or chat, for anyone in emotional distress. |
| Boundary | A clear limit that protects both you and the people you serve. |
Real-life situations
The CHW who cannot switch off
Maria, a CHW in Clark-Fulton, checks client texts at night and on weekends. She is sleeping badly and feels guilty when she rests.
What to do
- Name the pattern and talk with your supervisor about after-hours coverage
- Turn the work phone off at the end of each shift
- Make sure clients know about 911 and 988 for after-hours crises
- Add an end-of-day ritual to your self-care plan
Why: Clear boundaries protect the worker's health and make sure clients have real after-hours safety options.
Hearing a hard story
During an intake in East Cleveland, Mr. Banks tells you about losing his son to violence. After the visit, you sit in your car shaking.
What to do
- Take a few minutes to breathe before driving
- Call your supervisor or a peer to debrief, without sharing identifying details outside the team
- Do something calming before your next visit
- Bring it to your next supervision session
Why: Talking soon after a hard exposure helps prevent stress from building into secondary trauma.
Too many cases
Jerome's caseload in Glenville has grown from 25 to 45 clients since a coworker left. He is falling behind on notes and feels like a failure.
What to do
- Track his caseload and hours honestly
- Ask the supervisor to meet about priorities and coverage
- Share the data as a workplace problem, not a personal failing
- Keep up the basics of his self-care plan
Why: Heavy caseloads are an upstream cause of burnout, and they need a team solution.
Activity: My self-care plan
About 20 minutes.
- Write three signs that tell you stress is building in your body, feelings or work.
- List two daily habits, one end-of-day ritual and one weekly connection you will keep.
- Write your hard day plan: two people you can call, plus the EAP number if you have one, and 988.
- Choose a self-care buddy from the class and share one part of your plan with them.
- Upload your plan to the LMS; only the instructor will see it.
Post-test
Ten questions. You need 75% to pass, with one retake. Your result is saved in this browser.
Sources
- World Health Organization, Burn-out an occupational phenomenon
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Secondary Traumatic Stress fact sheet
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, What is an Employee Assistance Program
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Get help
- 988.gov
- Ohio Administrative Code 4723-26-13, Standard curriculum