Compose a 200-word Discussion Post response for each day's questions (e.g., Day Two, Day Three, Day Four). For each day, answer the following questions for both case studies:

What examples of compassion fatigue are evident in this worker?

Identify any examples of dysfunctional organizational leadership in this case study.

You must include terms and information learned in the course.

When utilizing information from the textbook, include the page number as a citation. For example: "...self-awareness is the natural starting point for discussions of self-care (pg. 69)."

Case Study #1 - Ms. Capper: Ms. Capper and Ms. Maple had been best friends growing up, and they shared a lifelong dream of becoming social services workers. Various family and other commitments separated them after college, and they began their careers at different agencies in different provinces. As new graduates, both were energetic and enthusiastic workers, committed to excellence in caring for their clients. Over the course of her first year, the agency where Ms. Capper worked dealt with budget cuts and resources began to decline. Staffing decreased, and Ms. Capper's caseload went from 14 clients to 27 clients. She struggled to keep up with the increasing workload and found herself unable to spend as much time as she wanted with her clients. The agency instituted mandatory overtime to help overcome the staffing shortage, and Ms. Capper soon began working a few hours beyond her usual 10-hour shifts and often worked six or seven days in a row. She was tired all the time and frequently found it difficult to focus, especially near the end of her shift. Her personal life was affected; she called her family less often and never seemed to have time for her friends. Ms. Capper did make time for a phone call from her friend Ms. Maple and couldn't believe how happy Ms. Maple was in her job. Ms. Maple listened as Ms. Capper described all her dissatisfactions with her work. Ms. Maple sympathized with her situation and talked enthusiastically about her own recent transfer to another agency. She urged Ms. Capper to join another agency because many offer a variety of professional challenges and lower caseloads. "You'll really feel like you're making a difference," Ms. Maple told her. Encouraged, Ms. Capper submitted resumes to other agencies she was interested in. Ms. Capper was hired at another agency and gained renewed interest and energy during her orientation. She enjoyed the challenges of this agency's client population, and she again looked forward to work. However, after she was fully oriented, her caseload increased, and she again found herself working long hours and overtime. She went home every day with a headache and backache, she never felt fully rested, and she experienced extreme mood swings. She again withdrew from family and friends and found herself frequently overeating. She also began to have a glass or two of wine every night to cope with her stress. The "last straw" for Ms. Capper was when she began to make mistakes at work and started to lose patience with her clients. As a result, Ms. Capper felt like a professional failure and questioned her decision to become a social services worker. She distanced herself even further from her colleagues, her family, and her friends. Ms. Maple surprised Ms. Capper with a visit and was distressed about what had happened to Ms. Capper. Her friend had dark circles under her eyes, was overweight, and lacked her usual passion for life. Ms. Maple convinced Ms. Capper to tell her about her situation at work. When Ms. Maple heard about Ms. Capper's work schedule and case load, she became angry at the situation and told Ms. Capper that she needed to take better care of herself and become an advocate for change at her agency. Ms. Maple explained that not all agencies are the same, and she described her own positive work environment. In her agency, staff have a weekly get-together during which they talk about their most challenging clients and how they cope with everything. The Human Resources department sends out flyers about stress management programs, and the supervisors rearrange schedules to allow staff to attend. Although there can be heavy caseloads, management works with the staff as they develop the schedule, so staff have some say in the shifts and the number of days they work. The supervisor also anticipates needs and requests relief staff to help keep the caseloads low. Ms. Capper was surprised at the differences between her agency and Ms. Maple's agency, but she expressed doubt that she could change how her agency functioned. Ms. Maple acknowledged that it is difficult to change organizations, but she encouraged Ms. Capper to talk with other staff about the situation. Ms. Maple said that the agency staff need to band together to approach administration and request changes in scheduling and to emphasize the detrimental effect of heavy caseloads on client outcomes and quality of care. Ms. Maple noted that, equally as important as working for change in her agency, Ms. Capper must make changes in her personal and professional lifestyles to help her better manage stress and avoid burning out completely. Ms. Maple told her about the importance of finding healthier ways to cope with stress, evaluating her work/life satisfaction, seeking support from friends and family, working "smarter," and engaging in nonwork activities. Ms. Maple also reminded Ms. Capper about how excited the two of them had always been about becoming social services workers. Over the next few months, Ms. Capper starts to pay better attention to her health by eating a balanced diet and finding time for regular exercise, including a twice-weekly yoga class. She starts an informal support group with her peers at work, and the number of participants increases as the sessions become more popular. She also visits with the Human Resources staff to ask about workshops in stress management techniques. In addition, Ms. Capper leads a small group of her peers in approaching their supervisor to discuss their concerns about the quality of client care and staffing. With time, Ms. Capper has a renewed sense of purpose at work and has become involved in a multidisciplinary committee that is addressing quality of care. She also has become more active in her personal life, spending more time with friends and family and volunteering as a coach for a youth soccer team. She has scheduled her first vacation in two years, planning a 10-day cruise with her best friend, Ms. Maple.