Table Of ContentTHE RESILIENT
PRACTITIONER
Th e Resilient Practitioner, third edition, gives students and practitioners the tools
they need to create their own personal balance between caring for themselves
and caring for others. Th is new edition includes a new chapter on resiliency,
an updated self-care action plan, self-refl ection exercises in each chapter, and
a revised resiliency inventory for practitioners. Readers will fi nd, however, that
the new edition keeps its strong focus on research and accessible writing
style. Th e new edition also retains its focus on establishing working alliances
and charting a hopeful path for practitioners, a path that allows them to work
intensely with human suff ering and also have a vibrant career in the process.
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THE RESILIENT
PRACTITIONER
Burnout and compassion fatigue
prevention and self-care strategies
for the helping professions
Th ird Edition
Th omas M. Skovholt and
Michelle Trotter-Mathison
Th ird edition published 2016
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Th ird Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2016 Th omas M. Skovholt and Michelle Trotter-Mathison
Th e right of Th omas M. Skovholt and Michelle Trotter-Mathison
to be identifi ed as the author of this Work has been asserted by them
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation
without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Allyn & Bacon 2000
Second edition published by Routledge 2010
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Skovholt, Th omas M.
Th e resilient practitioner : burnout and compassion fatigue prevention
and self-care strategies for the helping professions / Th omas M. Skovholt
and Michelle Trotter-Mathison. — Th ird edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-138-83003-5 (hardback : alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-1-138-83007-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-315-73744-7
(ebook) 1. Medical personnel—Mental health. 2. Psychotherapists—
Mental health. 3. Teachers—Mental health. 4. Counselors—Mental
health. 5. Medical personnel—Job stress. 6. Psychotherapists—Job
stress. 7. Teachers—Job stress. 8. Counselors—Job stress. 9. Burn-
out (Psychology)—Prevention. I. Trotter-Mathison, Michelle. II. Title.
RC451.4.M44S57 2016
616.89′14—dc23
2015031296
ISBN: 978-1-138-83003-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-83007-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-73744-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Adobe Caslon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
For my daughter Rachel whose birth was a beautiful moment
and whose continual presence is a pleasure
– Tom Skovholt
For John, Lars and Elias, my loves who bring so much joy to my life
– Michelle Trotter-Mathison
And to practitioners, including counselors, therapists, teachers,
health professionals, professors and clergy across the world, whose
professional caring for others makes this a better world
PRAISE FOR THE
FIRST EDITION
“ Th e Resilient Practitioner is a ‘must’ read for every practitioner. Skovholt gives
clear explanations of practitioner stress and provides remedies that can be
implemented. I really enjoyed the real-life examples and was impressed by
the extensive research that forms the background for the book. Skovholt is a
master teacher and practitioner. I recommend that practitioners keep this book
close by and reread it throughout their careers.”
– Clara Hill, PhD, University of Maryland
“Th is is a wonderful book that merits careful reading by all helping profession-
als. Well written, engrossing, and amply documented, Th e Resilient Practitioner
is recommended with unqualifi ed enthusiasm.”
– Ted Packard, PhD, University of Utah; President,
American Board of Professional Psychology
“In this remarkable book, the author is eloquent in his perceptive description of
the demands on the practitioner. At several points, I felt like I was reading from
the pages of my own personal journal. Th is is a wonderfully stimulating book!”
– William Parham, PhD, University of California–
Los Angeles; Associate Director, Counseling Services
“Over the past ten years, I have been asked by publishers to review hundreds
of manuscripts. Th is is one of the best written! Th e author has a very engaging
writing style and his humanity permeates the content. Th e book has a solid
scholarly foundation yet is very accessible, very alive, and rich with vivid, real-
life illustrations. What a wonderful job!”
– Mark Kiselica, PhD, Th e College of New Jersey
“At all career stages, caring professionals will fi nd this book to be a rich resource
of encouragement for professional development. It is a bountiful gift to us all.”
– Jaquie Resnick, PhD, University of Florida
“Th is visionary work is essential reading for practitioners and students in
the helping fi elds. With poetic wisdom and academic clarity, Tom Skovholt
addresses the issues involved in sustaining professional validity.”
– Sally Hage, PhD, State University of New York
“In Th e Resilient Practitioner , Tom Skovholt demonstrates a compassionate
appreciation for the complexities of the helping fi elds. Clearly, he has experi-
enced these development challenges, and has listened and guided well as oth-
ers have navigated these challenging tasks. Now, in this book, his wisdom can
be shared with many other ‘high-touch’ professionals.”
– Kate F. Hays, PhD, Sport Psychologist; Director,
Th e Performing Edge, Toronto, Canada
“Tom Skovholt has identifi ed precisely the diffi cult career issues for practi-
tioners in the helping professions. He specifi es particular steps in balancing
care for others and self, sustaining the professional and personal selves, and
preventing burnout. Skovholt stimulated me to consider self-care in a whole
new way – not as a narcissistic withdrawal from responsibility, but as a means
to sustain intellectual excitement and emotional commitment to those with
whom I work.”
– Susan Neufeldt, PhD, Clinical Supervisor,
University of California–Santa Barbara
PRAISE FOR THE
SECOND EDITION
“Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison have off ered well-written observations of
profound truth, informed largely by the superlative body of research on coun-
selor development by Skovholt and colleagues. A stimulating and validating
read for practitioners across the professional lifespan.”
– Camille DeBell, PhD, Associate Professor
of Counseling Psychology, Regis University
“I welcome this book, as a psychotherapist, with my whole heart. Th e authors
have left no stone unturned in identifying the pitfalls which can lead to burn-
out in practitioners in the business of ‘other-care.’ ”
– Ursula Somerville, MEAP, MIAHIP, European
Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervision based in Ireland
“Th e second edition of Th e Resilient Practitioner is packed with insights and
practical tools for mental health professionals. Th is is a great book for teach-
ing and training, and for periodic self-assessment for the mature professional.”
– Arnold Spokane, PhD, ABPP, Professor of
Counseling Psychology, Lehigh University
“Th e authors explicitly state the case for help-giving as an extremely complex,
dialectical and demanding occupation. I have no doubt that students, novices,
and professionals in the helping occupations will fi nd this to be a major con-
tribution to their professionalism and well-being.”
– Moshe Israelashvili, PhD, Tel Aviv University, Israel
PRAISE FOR THE
THIRD EDITION
“Th is book should be required reading for all in the helping professions.
Skovholt and Trotter-Mathison identify struggles with which any one of us
might relate. Th ey use powerful examples and provide a structure for refl ec-
tion that would be a valuable resources to all colleagues in nursing and other
professions who routinely cope with the stresses of caring.”
– Lori Brown, PhD, RN, assistant professor at
Washington State University
“My best read this far about the personal in the professional in relationship-
intense professions. Relevant across disciplines and cultures. In a warmhearted
manner, the authors off er well-founded and thought-provoking insights, bene-
fi tting both the novice and the experienced professional. An invaluable comp-
anion for any relational worker aiming for the long run!”
– Kjetil Moen, chaplain, researcher, and lecturer at
Stavanger University Hospital, Norway
“As a practitioner in private practice, I frequently turn to this book for remind-
ers of how to persist despite the demands of psychologically taxing work. As
a professor and supervisor, I frequently refer students to this book so that
they can learn how to engage in self-care in a systematic, thoughtful way. Th e
Resilient Practitioner should be required reading for students and should be
on the bookshelf of all practitioners in the helping fi elds such as health care,
education, and social work.”
– Julie Koch, PhD, associate professor and training
director in the counseling psychology doctoral program at
Oklahoma State University
