Compassion Fatigue in Student Affairs Practitioners Working with Undocumented College Students

“We were just so shattered”: Identity and the emotional impact of supporting student activism.

“…Student affairs professionals should be encouraged to engage in intentional practices to maintain their mental health through an institutional culture of support, generated from the highest levels of the organizational chart. Hoy and Nguyen (2020) noted that the means for obtaining relief from compassion fatigue vary from person to person, and we believe it is important that colleges and universities avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to supporting student affairs professionals. At least a few institutions have implemented intentional efforts to provide mental health support beyond the traditional employee assistance program to staff members through on-campus wellness or health centers (Bouranova, 2023; DeLuca, 2023; McNeill, 2022).…”

“…Compassion fatigue is reinforced through the passion many student affairs professionals feel for the field; some believe they are called to do this work (Hoy & Nguyen, 2020). This has kept many people in the field despite the intensive hours, low salary, and limited advancement opportunities, according to Ellis (2021).…”

“…This leaves a gap in understanding not only how they experience student activism but also how it affects them personally. Recent studies on secondary traumatic stress (Lynch, 2022), compassion fatigue (Hoy & Nguyen, 2020; Jackson Preston et al, 2021), and emotional burnout (Anderson, 2021; Mullen et al, 2018; Naifeh & Kearney, 2021) explore the consequences of working in high-touch student affairs roles, but they are not specific to activism. Further, given that the issues for which activists seek redress often relate to social justice and equity aims, identity is also an important consideration when exploring the experiences of professionals (Anderson, 2021; Pryor & Hoffman, 2021; Stewart et al, 2022).…”

“…Compassion fatigue is a form of burnout specific to serving in an empathic role helping others, as opposed to being burned out from working too many hours (Hoy & Nguyen, 2020; Jackson Preston et al, 2021; Raimondi, 2019). Compassion fatigue is well-documented in the literature of helping professions but largely absent in higher education (Raimondi, 2019).…”

“…Compassion fatigue is well-documented in the literature of helping professions but largely absent in higher education (Raimondi, 2019). Student affairs practitioners working with undocumented students experience compassion fatigue through the “vicarious or secondary trauma” inherent in their work, and their identities influence how they experience the fatigue (Hoy & Nguyen, 2020, p. 139). Compassion fatigue is a potential outcome of assisting students in emotional distress, and students engaged in activism are emotionally involved in their work (Harrison & Mather, 2017).…”