Compassion Fatigue & Burnout | Best Friends Animal Society

You can help prevent staff and volunteers from suffering from the compassion fatigue and burnout that is all too common in animal welfare.

There are many ways you can build resilience against compassion fatigue in your organization — and keep dedicated animal welfare workers from leaving the field. You’ll improve your staff and volunteers’ emotional and physical well-being, prevent turnover, and also benefit the animals in your care.

Get the help you need

Find the answers you need for common questions related to compassion fatigue & burnout.

What To Do When Rescuers Need Rescuing

Learn strategies for managing mental health to sustain your work in animal welfare.

https://network.bestfriends.org/proven-strategies/program-spotlights/managing-our-mental-health

How to Practice "Compassionate Badassery"

Hear from peers about managing the emotional toll of animal welfare and practicing self care.

Woman in scrubs lying on the floor with a kitten.

Caring for People that Care for Animals Webinar

Explore how to prioritize staff well-being and find solutions organization-wide.

Shelter working holding up two kittens

A Guide On Keeping Ourselves Whole

Tune in for insights on managing burnout, compassion fatigue, and the demands of the industry.

Man smiling at a dog licking his face

Compassion Fatigue & Burnout

18 results

The Importance of Maximizing ‘Capacity for Care’

The Importance of Maximizing ‘Capacity for Care’

man sitting with a dog

Resources & Tools

Caring for the People that Care for Animals: Prioritizing Staff Well-being in Animal Welfare

Caring for the People that Care for Animals: Prioritizing Staff Well-being in Animal Welfare

person holding up two kittens

Top five program spotlights of 2022

Top five program spotlights of 2022

a very tiny neonatal kitten

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 131: Managing our mental health

The field of animal welfare can be physically and mentally grueling. At times, it may feel like there is no end in sight with so many requests for help. Unfortunately, de...

woman holding a brown and white puppy

Managing our mental health

When rescuers need rescuing: managing our mental health

Black and white cat sniffing person doing yoga's face

Overwhelmed? Under-resourced?

Overwhelmed? Under-resourced?

Three dogs standing up on half door

Webinars & Videos

Vlog Ep. 39

Exploring the new tool helping to improve the lives of animal shelter employees

Woman doing yoga on teal mat with black and white cat walking in front

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 90: Applying 12-Step principles to succeed, stay sane, and save lives

This is the busiest time of the year for many in animal welfare, with the end-of-year fundraising efforts in full swing. December is when we often focus on giving to othe...

tiny puppy wrapped in a towel

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 83: Keeping ourselves whole (rebroadcast)

We all know how important the work being done in the animal welfare field is right now. But dealing with the pandemic and other serious issues such as the growing staffin...

woman caring for a dog at a veterinary clinic

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 71: Compassionate Badassery (rebroadcast)

This week’s episode begins with a simple question. How do you feel? We hear the term “new normal” an awful lot right now as the world is continuing to ease COVID-related ...

a cat and a dog with an animal caregiver

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 60: Keeping ourselves whole

This week, we talk with Meryl Schwarz, a certified professional coach specializing in working with those suffering from compassion fatigue.

woman holding a cat

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 17: Permission to Feel with Dr. Marc Brackett

Caring for and protecting companion animals involves strong emotions. Understanding how we feel and harnessing our feelings for productive solutions, recognizing and resp...

Black dog at Angel Canyon

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 15: Emotional Intelligence - Our Super Power!

Think about the last time you were upset in your professional life. Maybe you were angry, or sad (or both). What did you do with that emotion? Did you allow it to affect ...

Customer service

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 9: Cultivating Resilience

Stress and adversity are part of life. How we deal with it is what matters most. How do we stay gritty, persevere, and show up as our best selves even amid a pandemic?

Cat and dog cuddle

The Best Friends Podcast Ep. 7: Compassionate Badassery

The work in animal welfare, municipal sheltering, and field services can be emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing. The emotional peaks and valleys affect us all di...

Dog in creek

Introducing The Best Friends Podcast

Welcome to The Best Friends Podcast! You'll hear stories from the front lines of lifesaving. You’ll hear from leading experts on topics that impact all of us. These are s...

Calico cat and tan and brown cat laying together

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HR & Staff Development

Operations & Admin

About the Best Friends Network

The network is a free community of over 5,000 animal welfare organizations, including shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter groups, transport groups, and other support organizations.

The Best Friends Network is your support system in your journey to save the lives of dogs and cats in your communities. Network partners gain access to exclusive challenges, grants, resources, and dedicated support.

Connect with partners across the country, access proven strategies, and collaborate to increase lifesaving nationwide.

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Meet the team

The Best Friends Network team is your lifeline to support for your organization, collaboration with other network partners and connection with Best Friends experts, resources, funding opportunities and so much more.

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