November, 2008

"I had the pleasure of first listening to Michelle speak about compassion
fatigue at the Canadian Counselling Conference in Moncton, New Brunswick
in May, 2008. The presentation she delivered at the conference was,
without question, one of the most powerful and meaningful sessions I have
ever attended in my twelve year career as a school counsellor. Michelle's
ability to share her own personal experiences dealing with the affects of
compassion fatigue appeared to have captured every single audience member
for the entire afternoon.

I have since had Michelle come to our school district and present her
wealth of knowledge to our team of 25 school counsellors. Without
surprise, Michelle once again delivered an exceptional workshop. Without
hesitation, I would highly recommend Michelle's workshop to any human
services organization that is interested in enhancing their awareness and
understanding of compassion fatigue."

Carla G. Heintz
Family School Liaison Coordinator
Wolf Creek Public Schools

November, 2008

"I came to the compassion fatigue workshop with some doubt that this
concept applied to my experiences and was really touched by the material
presented. I connected with many of the ideas and realized that
although I love my work that I needed to look at how to remain healthy
and productive in an atmosphere that often involves crisis and pain. I
tend to minimize my own needs, and by doing that I was gradually robbing
myself and my family of my time and attention. It was a great
experience and has started a process that I believe will enhance my
professional and personal life."

Lisa Luciano, Ph.D.
Clinical director, Thorpe Recovery Center, Lloydminster

April, 2008

"As a CEO for a large family violence prevention organization for many years, I could see the effects among staff as they listened to our clients’ horrific experiences of violence and abuse.  We were all keenly aware of the terms "burnout", "compassion fatigue", and "vicarious trauma" particularly amongst those individuals working on the 'front line'. 
 
As part of our ongoing commitment to staff wellness, we set out on a quest to gather more information on these topics.  Our ultimate goal was to present a workshop on the topic of vicarious trauma; we searched for nearly two years, and then one day we learned that someone in our own community was very passionate about this subject; her name was Michelle Hamilton.
 
Michelle offers this information in such a wonderful way.  She, of course, includes the definitions, explanations, facts, and prevention strategies but she does so much more. Michelle brings this information from the heart.  Michelle's first hand knowledge and experience offers a much deeper insight into the risks of working in the helping profession.  Michelle is an amazing presenter and has the ability to really connect with her audience.
 
I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone working in the helping field today.  This information is a valuable awareness tool that awakens us to the risks that we face in our profession but more importantly how we can stay healthy and effective in our desire to truly serve and help others."
 
 Doreen McCaw
McCaw Consulting
Lloydminster, AB 
e-mail: dormccaw@hotmail.com

May 1, 2008

"This was a great workshop and could not have come at a better time. I work as an addictions counselor which means that I am exposed to other people’s traumatic stories on a daily basis. We always focus on helping our clients but little attention and focus gets put on how we are affected in our day to day work. I began to find myself feeling tired and unmotivated.

Michelle really outlines the effects and the impact people face when exposed to others traumatic experiences as well as provides useful strategies for keeping healthy. This workshop reminds that self care is more than just an idea, it’s a necessity for this line of work.

After taking the workshop I returned to work feeling refreshed. I recommend this workshop to anyone who works in the helping profession."

Janice Taylor