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. 2022 Dec 22:13:1024451.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1024451. eCollection 2022.

Randomized controlled trial of emotion-focused training for helping professionals

Júlia Halamová  1 , Natália Ondrejková  1 , Karol Kováč  1
Affiliations

Randomized controlled trial of emotion-focused training for helping professionals

Júlia Halamová et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the short- and long-term effectiveness of the novel Emotion-focused Training for Helping Professions on levels of compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress & burnout), self-criticism, self-compassion, and compassion for others.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial study was conducted. A total of 253 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group attended a 14-day online training. The control group did not perform any tasks.

Results: Results showed that after completing the intervention the experimental group participants reported significantly lower scores for secondary traumatic stress, burnout and self-criticism, and higher scores for self-compassion and that these lasted for two months after completion. Compared to the control group, the experimental group participants had significantly lower scores of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, self-criticism, and higher scores of self-compassion after the intervention. No significant changes were found for the control group, except a significant increase in time in the reported score for one dimension of burnout - exhaustion.

Discussion: The novel EFT-HP training was shown to be effective in reducing levels of compassion fatigue (secondary traumatic stress and burnout) and self-criticism and increasing self-compassion.

Keywords: burnout; compassion fatigue; experiment; intervention; randomized control trial; secondary traumatic stress; self-compassion; self-criticism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chart of participants who completed the three phases of the EFT-HP intervention and attrition rates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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