Barbara Rubel of Griefwork Center, Inc. is a nationally recognized compassion fatigue speaker, author, and trainer whose programs have served healthcare institutions, hospice and palliative care organizations, first responder agencies, and social service networks across the country. Her work operates at the intersection of clinical training and organizational transformation – not a one-hour motivational talk, but a structured, evidence-informed framework for measurable and sustained recovery from vicarious trauma.
Compassion fatigue is one of the most pervasive and under-addressed challenges facing the healthcare workforce, first responder community, and every professional whose daily work requires deep empathetic engagement with human suffering. It is not a character flaw, a weakness, or simple burnout – it is a predictable, measurable occupational response to sustained exposure to trauma, grief, and crisis. And like most occupational hazards, it responds to training, structure, and organizational commitment.
At Griefwork Center, Inc., Barbara Rubel has spent decades developing and delivering evidence-informed compassion fatigue training programs designed specifically for organizations that cannot afford to lose their people to silent, invisible depletion. This page describes what compassion fatigue is, why training matters, and what the Griefwork Center’s programs offer organizations ready to take action.
