Compassion Fatigue in Education: An Introduction to Effective Self-Care
Enroll in the Online Self-Study course and complete it at your own pace.
1 CE hour available for behavioral health clinicians upon completion.
The weight of collective trauma on educators has never been heavier. In the wake of global crises and systemic challenges, professionals in education are burning out while quietly bearing the emotional toll of their students’ pain.
In a time when showing up for others is expected—even when you're running on empty—this course offers a necessary pause to reflect, recover, and rebuild. It's an invitation to gain clarity, renew your purpose, and reclaim your well-being.
Enroll in the 1 CE Online Self-Study for $19
Payment Options are listed at checkout
Dr. Sonja Sutherland, PhD, LPC, ACS, BC-TMH, brings over two decades of experience as a clinician, educator, and advocate for mental wellness. Her work spans trauma treatment, supervision, and culturally informed clinical practices. With warmth and clarity, Dr. Sutherland guides participants through the critical yet often overlooked realities of compassion fatigue in education, empowering clinicians to address the risks of professional impairment with skill and self-awareness.
Dr. Sutherland’s approach to teaching is grounded in both research and lived experience. She translates complex psychological concepts into practical, actionable insights, making it easier for clinicians to assess their current state and implement realistic strategies for self-care. Her framework acknowledges both individual and community-level trauma—helping you navigate the emotional fallout while promoting sustainable wellness.
This course explores how trauma exposure, both direct and indirect, leads to secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout. You'll examine how the pandemic amplified stress within school communities and disrupted professional and personal equilibrium. Through engaging content and self-reflective activities, you’ll assess your wellness, explore barriers to self-care, and begin developing a plan to restore emotional and physical balance.
Instructor
Dr. Sonja Sutherland, PhD, LPC, ACS, BC-TMH, is the founder and CEO of Legacy Changers Worldwide, an organization dedicated to family education and mental wellness. With over 25 years in the mental health field, she has worked across private practice, residential, and outpatient settings, specializing in adolescents, couples, and families. More information on services and programs offered by Dr. Sutherland can be found here.
Through Legacy Professional Development & Training, Dr. Sutherland provides advanced continuing education and clinical supervision for mental health professionals. Her research and publications focus on racial trauma, cultural competence, and social justice in clinical practice and supervision. Dr. Sutherland's CV can be found here.
Key Takeaways:
Recognize the early warning signs: Understand how trauma exposure and systemic stress contribute to burnout in educational professionals.
Reclaim your well-being: Assess your own self-care habits and identify the impact compassion fatigue has on your professional performance and personal life.
Plan for resilience: Begin mapping out a tailored self-care plan to improve functioning and prevent future impairment.
Why this course?
Rooted in real-world experience: Dr. Sutherland’s extensive background in trauma-informed care and education ensures this course speaks directly to your lived professional challenges.
Designed for meaningful impact: Unlike generic wellness trainings, this course blends clinical insight, self-assessment tools, and practical steps for behavioral change.
Empowered by values: Offered by Telehealth Certification Institute, a leader in behavioral health education committed to excellence, kindness, and clinician wellness.
Learning Objectives:
List 2 contributors to vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout in educators and the related impact on professional impairment.
Assess personal wellness factors and the possible impact of compassion fatigue on current wellness.
Identify 2 areas for personalized development of a self-care plan.
Whether you’re an educator, counselor, or behavioral health clinician working in schools, this course offers a lifeline back to professional vitality and personal peace. Allow yourself this time to recalibrate—and return to your work more grounded, present, and whole.
Add this course to your cart to begin learning instantly.
This is a non-interactive self-study course. Instruction consists of 1 hour of video instruction and a post-test.
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Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to attend: Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.
This program was recorded on July 12, 2021.
Testimonials
Bridgette Nalumu
Public health consultant, Green and Purple Consultancy Network
Lora Verley
Clinical Therapist, Bayless Integrated Healthcare
Jackie Tanna
Therapist, Region One Mental Health
Jackie Bell-Russell
Therapeutic Behavioral Strategist, Rialto Unified School District