W20 – Burn Bright, Not Out: An Introduction to Mindful Self-Compassion for Highly Driven Mental Health Professionals

W20 – Burn Bright, Not Out: An Introduction to Mindful Self-Compassion for Highly Driven Mental Health Professionals

Friday, Oct. 28
10:45 – 11:45 (1 hr)
Meeting Room: Cedar (Mezzanine)
Tara Riddell*, MD, RCPSC Specialist; Joanna Jarecki, MD, FRCPC
Supported by the Psychotherapy Section

CanMEDS Roles:

  1. Collaborator
  2. Communicator
  3. Health Advocate

At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Understand recent evidence on mindful self-compassion and its role in the well-being and psychopathology of health care provider s (e.g., anxiety, depression); 2) Explore and challenge self-doubts and skepticism towards self-compassion; and 3) Learn tangible, practical, and highly applicable exercises to promote self-compassion as a professional in everyday life and in patient care.

In a busy, fast-paced, outcome-focused health care system, is there room for being kind to ourselves? Does being kind to yourself promote laziness or mean that we lack the resiliency necessary to be a mental health-care provider? Is self-compassion just a pity party for oneself? In it’s first-ever in-person offering, all of these questions will be addressed through an experiential and hands-on workshop, as participants explore self-compassion through the lens of a “skeptic.” Kristin Neff’s three-pronged model of self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness) will be presented, along with several highly practical exercises. Recent literature on self-compassion among providers will be showcased, including evidence supporting the role of self-compassion in mitigating burnout and psychopathology (e.g., anxiety, depression) and improving overall physician well-being and motivation. This will be a highly interactive workshop where participants will engage in small groups and work through their own skepticisms and barriers to self-care. Participants will also be invited to share their COVID-19 self-compassion triumphs and tribulations, with ample time for questions and discussion.

Overall, amidst an increasingly demanding medical system that can reinforce self-criticism among physicians, this foundational self-compassion workshop equips providers at all stages of training with tools for restoring and maintaining their own wellness and self-efficacy. The benefits of self-compassion are far-reaching. Participants will discover this as they learn how to foster self-compassion for themselves, how this can transcend into patient-physician interactions, and how it can be integrated into existing psychotherapy modalities to foster self-compassion for their patients.

References:

  1. Neff K, Germer C. The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook. New York (NY): The Guilford Press; 2018.
  2. Raab K. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and empathy among health care professionals: a review of the literature. J Health Care Chaplain 2014;20(3):95–108.