The Cost of Caring: Exploring the impacts of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary trauma for caregivers, families, and professionals
Presented by: Jennifer Nelson, LICSW-S
6-7pm CST April 22, 2026
1 FREE General Knowledge CE Credit
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective #1:
Define and distinguish between compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout, including how each develops and presents across caregiving and professional roles.
Learning Objective #2:
Explain the neurobiological and psychological impact of prolonged empathic engagement with trauma, including how repeated exposure affects stress response systems and emotional regulation.
Learning Objective #3:
Identify protective factors and resilience-building practices that support sustainable caregiving and professional engagement.
This presentation explores the concepts of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress, highlighting how these experiences can affect caregivers, families, and helping professionals—often early in their training and careers. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of how repeated exposure to others’ stress and trauma can influence well-being, professional effectiveness, and ethical practice. Emphasis is placed on recognizing early warning signs, understanding the unique vulnerabilities of social work roles, and identifying healthy coping, boundary-setting, and support strategies. The presentation encourages attendees to view self-awareness and self-care as essential components of professional responsibility and long-term sustainability in social work practice.
Speaker
Jennifer Nelson, LICSW-S
Jennifer Nelson is a native of Birmingham, AL, and holds the license of LICSW-S in the state of Alabama. Jennifer has been practicing social work for over 16 years, and is a graduate of the University of Montevallo and University of Georgia, where she earned her BSW and MSW degrees, respectively. Jennifer is the founder/CEO of Kintsugi Counseling & Consulting, LLC, and currently works in private practice, where she provides counseling to teens, adults, individuals, and couples. Jennifer also provides clinical supervision and has facilitated multiple continuing education/professional development workshops, with a focus on self-care and ethics. Jennifer has an extensive history of working with various at-risk and vulnerable populations, and has a true love for people. Jennifer is married and is the mom to her fur-baby, Sammy.