2010
Judith Anne DeLorme-Loftus
Compassion Resilience: The Law Enforcement Chaplain’s Response To Compassion Fatigue
The ministry of the law enforcement chaplain is a ministry of listening, counseling, and support to law enforcement officers, support personnel, their families, and to victims of crime and other traumatic events. Because of the law enforcement chaplain’s frequent interaction with traumatic events, either primarily or secondarily, the chaplain may be exposed not only to posttraumatic stress disorder but also to secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue. Since there is a lack of professional literature examining the role of compassion fatigue in the experience of the law enforcement chaplain, this thesis explores the law enforcement chaplain’s vulnerability to compassion fatigue. The author defines and discusses the concept of compassion resilience and suggestions to ameliorate the effects of trauma, either primarily or secondarily, for the law enforcement chaplain, chaplains in other ministries, and those clergy ministering in congregational settings.