In this presentation, Dr. Michael Barnes reviews the increased potential for Compassion Fatigue in addiction treatment providers responding to the unique requirements of COVID-19. Dr. Barnes will describe Compassion Fatigue, how it develops, common symptoms, and methods of addressing its impact. He will examine the unforeseen stressors that accompany the emergency requirements to shelter in place and social distancing. He will discuss the challenges associated with an urgent need to master new technologies while attempting to meet client needs through the unfamiliar process of remote client care. He will introduce the impact of secondary and chiasmal trauma that affects families, organizational systems and communities, as individuals struggle to cope with clients, family members, and friends being impacted by the easily-transmitted virus, the divisive 24-hour news cycle and overwhelming powerlessness to simultaneously prevent and grieve the growing number of deaths that take place each day. Finally, Dr. Barnes will identify self-care practices that can assist addiction professionals to better cope with the demand for living and working in the time of COVID-19.
Dr. Michael Barnes is a Master Addiction Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Diplomate in the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. He serves as the Chief Clinical Officer at the Foundry Treatment Center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Dr. Barnes comes to the Foundry after serving for five years as the Clinical Manager of Residential Services at CeDAR (Center for Dependency, Addiction, and Rehabilitation) at the University of Colorado Hospital and 10 years as a full-time clinical professor in Counseling. Most recently, he served as the Clinical Coordinator and Clinical Associate Professor in the MA Program in Counseling at the University of Colorado Denver. Dr. Barnes has developed trauma-integrated clinical models for the treatment of individuals with co-occurring addiction and trauma and he speaks nationally on Families, Trauma, and Addiction. Dr. Barnes received his BA in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University.
