Tier 1 Module 5: Assisting Educators in Developing an Enduring Self-Care Regimen

Creator: Dr. Cirecie Olatunji, Melba Fortuné Martinez Endowed Professor in the counselor education program and director of the Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Description: What is compassion fatigue and why are educators particularly vulnerable? Instead of compassion fatigue educators want to experience compassion satisfaction. Compassion fatigue is the cost of caring and educators pay a high price. In this module, you’ll learn enduring self-care strategies to prevent compassion fatigue from creeping into your life and lifelong strategies to achieve compassion satisfaction.

Goals:

1. Participants will increase knowledge about compassion fatigue and its impact on education professions.
2. Participants will enhance their awareness of their adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms when dealing with day-to-day stressors.
3. Participants will augment their coping skills to mediate the impact of secondary traumatic stress in the work environment.

Estimated time to complete: 2-3 hours

Completion:

• Educators will have 31 days to complete the module. After submitting an assignment for the module, it might take anywhere from 1-2 weeks for it to be graded. As soon as all assignments are submitted and graded, you will receive an email letting you know you've completed the module. Also, if you don't complete the module in time, you will not receive your certificate of completion.
• The certificate participants receive after completing each module is not valid for licensure credit.
  • Licensure Renewal Credit Option: Educators will have to enroll in the Licensure Renewal Course and complete all 6 Tier 1 modules to receive a certificate for one Iowa licensure renewal credit. Educators who are not in the state of Iowa, or who don’t renew their licensure through the Iowa BoEE, should check with their governing body if this experience would be approved for a renewal credit.