“One of my greatest joys is to inspire first responders and community service providers to handle compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, moral injury, and vicarious trauma.”
Barbara Rubel, MA, BCETS, DAAETS
Compassion Fatigue Speaker and Training Programs for Healthcare, First Responders, Law Enforcement, Clinicians, Judicial, and Caregivers
In today’s high-stress professional landscape, those who care for others often carry invisible wounds. First responders, clinicians, mental health professionals, and organizational leaders routinely face the emotional toll of helping trauma survivors. Over time, their ability to care can erode, leaving them depleted and at risk for serious emotional consequences. That’s where The FABULOUS Transformation™ comes in.
FABULOUS Transformation™ is built on eight key elements: flexibility, maintaining a positive attitude, setting clear boundaries, understanding job satisfaction, embracing laughter, cultivating optimism, fostering unity, and practicing self-compassion.
Barbara Rubel, acclaimed keynote speaker and author, delivers powerful, interactive keynotes and training experiences designed to equip professionals and leaders with practical tools to recognize, manage, and transform compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury—before they lead to departure from the profession.
What is Compassion Fatigue?
Compassion Fatigue is the emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion that results from prolonged exposure to others’ suffering. It comprises two core elements:
- Burnout: Chronic workplace stress that is not successfully managed, often due to a lack of self-care. Burnout shows up as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, irritability, negative thinking, impaired decision-making, and increased risk for long-term health problems.
- Secondary Traumatic Stress: Emotional duress that results from hearing about firsthand trauma experiences of others. Symptoms include intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, and self-destructive coping. Individuals with a personal history of trauma are at greater risk.
When burnout and secondary traumatic stress combine, professionals may detach emotionally from those they serve. They may feel numb, lose their sense of purpose, or even leave their field entirely.
Vicarious Trauma is the profound transformation that occurs in professionals repeatedly exposed to traumatic stories. Over time, this exposure can reshape one’s core beliefs, worldview, and sense of self. Vicarious trauma can cause professionals to:
- Feel unsafe or hyper-aware of threats
- Question their values, trust in others, or personal abilities
- Struggle with intimate relationships
- Experience a loss of control or stability in life
- Internalize a pessimistic or fearful view of the world
These shifts can be long-lasting, impacting both personal and professional functioning.
Moral Injury occurs when a professional experiences a betrayal of deeply held moral values. This may result from:
- Actions they took (or failed to take)
- Observing harm done to others
- Feeling unsupported by leadership
- Systemic failures that contradict personal ethics
Symptoms include guilt, shame, spiritual distress, loss of meaning in one’s role, and a deep questioning of purpose and integrity.
Barbara Rubel helps organizations address these challenges through engaging, practical, evidence-informed training programs that support both individual well-being and organizational resilience.
TWO COMPASSION FATIGUE PROGRAMS
Who These Are For:
- First responders, chaplains, mental health professionals, community service providers, caregivers, judges, attorneys, victim/witness advocates, educators, and organizational leaders.
Barbara Rubel’s FABULOUS Transformation™ is more than a program—it’s a catalyst for lasting change. With deep expertise, heartfelt storytelling, and proven tools, Barbara guides professionals in identifying the signs of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, with a focus on the transformative effects of vicarious resilience, meaning-making, and vicarious post-traumatic growth.
- Learn how exposure to others’ strength and healing can inspire personal growth and reinforce professional purpose through vicarious resilience.
- Develop the ability to find purpose and value in the challenges of caring for others, turning adversity into insight through meaning-making.
- Transform trauma exposure into opportunities for positive change, increased empathy, and renewed commitment to your role through Vicarious Post-Traumatic Growth.
Your Audience Deserves More than Awareness – They Need FABULOUS Transformation™
The interactive keynote begins by acknowledging the profound challenges posed by compassion fatigue, moral injury, and vicarious trauma experienced by professionals providing trauma-informed care. Participants will identify resilience-building best practices to effectively address workplace challenges, ultimately leading to an enhancement of their well-being. Uniquely set apart by its self-reflective and introspective approach, this keynote emphasizes the importance of adopting a vicarious trauma-informed perspective, fostering the development of evidence-based practices for self-care.
This program is tailored for individuals working in fields where they routinely confront trauma, abuse and assault, neglect, and loss. Participants will apply newfound knowledge to real life and strategically identify opportunities for post-traumatic growth and vicarious resilience. This keynote is designed to empower individuals to not only leverage their inherent strengths but also to enhance their overall life satisfaction, transcending the challenges inherent in their professional roles.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the impact of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury.
- Describe how exposure to others’ trauma can impact emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
- Apply evidence-informed resilience-building strategies to mitigate the effects of vicarious trauma and enhance emotional well-being.
- Distinguish between the effects of vicarious trauma and the positive outcomes of vicarious resilience and vicarious post-traumatic growth.
- Develop a personalized self-care and support plan that integrates tools for managing emotional exposure, fostering resilience, and encouraging personal growth.
- Describe the eight resilient elements of the FABULOUS Transformation™ Framework—flexibility, attitude, boundaries, understanding job satisfaction, laughter, optimism, unity, and self-compassion—and explain their impact on personal well-being.
The goal of this program is to guide participants through the key steps of developing, implementing, and sustaining a successful peer-to-peer wellness program. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for developing effective peer-to-peer support programs, beginning with the critical steps of needs assessment and gap analysis. Participants will explore how to define the program’s scope, clarify roles and responsibilities, and apply recommended standards for training.
The session delves into program design and implementation, including essential components, actionable steps, and coordination of resources and support networks. Emphasis is placed on fostering collaborative relationships and engaging stakeholders throughout the process. Ethical considerations and adherence to professional standards are integrated into each stage of development.
Additionally, participants will learn strategies to enhance engagement, raise awareness, and encourage participation. The session concludes with practical approaches for program evaluation, financial planning, and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Learning Objectives
- Define the scope of the program by clarifying goals, specifying the target population, and formulating the mission and core values.
- Explain the roles and responsibilities of leaders and peer supporters.
- Identify recommended training standards to ensure consistency and quality.
- Compare program elements and delivery methods to determine the most effective structure for your peer support program.
- Apply strategies to coordinate resources and build support networks, fostering collaboration among key stakeholders.
- Describe ethical practices and professional standards and illustrate how they guide peer supporter conduct and decision-making.
- Evaluate different engagement and outreach strategies to determine their effectiveness in increasing participation and program visibility.
- Analyze evaluation tools and reflective practices to measure program success and apply lessons learned to future improvements.
Ready to Inspire Your Audience?
Book Barbara Rubel, MA, BCETS, DAAETS, for your next conference, leadership retreat, wellness summit, or training day. Let’s begin the transformation—together.
WHO BARBARA WORKS WITH
Barbara works with all types of organizations, businesses, and groups that are exposed to the trauma of others that impacts their own emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Her programs are tailored to meet the unique challenges faced by each audience.
- First responders – EMTs, Fire departments
- Judicial system – lawyers, judges, victim / witness advocates
- Law enforcement – police officers, police leaders, security officers
- Medical professionals – doctors, nurses
- Military personnel
- Caregivers
- Mental health professionals
- Victim service providers
- Clinicians
- Hospice and grief professionals
WHY ORGANIZATIONS CHOOSE BARBARA RUBEL
Barbara Rubel is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer, and author specializing in compassion fatigue, grief, and trauma-informed care.
With decades of experience, she brings both professional expertise and real-world understanding to every presentation. Her engaging style, practical strategies, and compassionate approach make her programs both impactful and immediately applicable.
Organizations value Barbara for her ability to connect with audiences, simplify complex topics, and provide tools that participants can use right away.
Credentials:
- Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress
- Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
- Bachelor of Science in psychology
- Master of Arts degree in community health
- Concentration in Thanatology from Brooklyn College
Experience:
- Over 20 years experience in speaking, training, and consulting. Go to her Speaker Information page for more details.
Books:
- Co-author of Living Blue: Helping Law Enforcement and Their Families Survive and Thrive from Recruitment to Retirement (2024)
- Author of But I Didn’t Say Goodbye: Helping Families After a Suicide (3ed) (2020)
AUTHOR and THOUGHT LEADER IN COMPASSION FATIGUE
Barbara is the author and co-author of several books focused on grief, loss, and compassion fatigue. Her work has helped professionals across the country better understand the emotional impact of caregiving and develop healthier ways to support themselves and others.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING
Please see the many testimonials that clients have given Barbara on the Testimonials page.
There is a long list of some of the places Barbara has spoken. They include Faith-based, health care and wellness associations, school systems, hospitals and medical centers, military, nursing, victim assistance, and legal, just to name a few. You can see the list here on her website – Where Barbara Has Spoken.
Bring Barbara to Your Organization
If your team is experiencing burnout, stress, or the effects of compassion fatigue, Barbara’s programs provide the tools and support needed to create lasting change.
Book Barbara for a speaking engagement or training today.
What Clients are Saying
Barbara’s Work Has Been Featured In
