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Barbara Rubel

Barbara is a leading authority and best-selling author on managing burnout, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. As a nationally recognized keynote speaker, she motivates audiences to build their resilience and create work-life balance. Her programs help leaders and teams manage workplace chronic stressors and get over burnout at work.

Barbara's newest book, "But I Didn't Say Goodbye: Helping Families After a Suicide", is available now on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2FwS6JI

• Three weeks prior to giving birth to triplets, her father died by suicide. Her story was featured in the Emmy award winning documentary, Fatal Mistakes, Families Shattered by Suicide narrated by Mariette Hartley. Many employees are grieving personal loss. She offers programs for leaders on lost productivity and performance while managing grief at work.

• As a sought-after keynote speaker who has presented to over 500 groups since 1991, including corporations, state and national associations and non-profit organizations, Barbara offers work-life balance strategies for leaders to implement right away. With clarity and humor, her speaking engagements are designed to give audiences powerful and practical strategies of work-life balance, wellbeing, and self-care that can be implemented immediately.

• Barbara is a Board-Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress and Diplomate with the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She received a Bachelor of Science in psychology and a Master of Arts degree in community health, with a concentration in thanatology, both from Brooklyn College.

Email: BarbaraRubel@BarbaraRubel.com
Website: www.barbararubel.com

May 05
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GHP Mental Health

Barbara Rubel Won a GHP Mental Health Award for the 2nd Year!

By Barbara Rubel Awards, Mental Health, Trauma Informed, Vicarious trauma No Comments
The GHP Mental Health Awards once again showcased the best of the best in the mental health industry in 2023. Their novel award approach welcomes all companies in all shapes and sizes. They do not prioritize their winners based on demographics, and instead aim to research, analyze, and shortlist all companies in this industry based on their merits. The final decisions have now been reached. From her recent nomination, they…
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Mar 21
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law enforcement

Addressing Psychological Risks of Law Enforcement Officers: Mental Health at Work

By Barbara Rubel First Responders, Law Enforcement, Mental Health No Comments
I created a vicious trauma-approach that puts the law enforcement officer (LEO) at the center of issues related to well-being and suicide prevention. I care deeply about preventing suicide in LEOs as my father, a sergeant, died by suicide after he retired. I found meaning in his suicide by focusing on mental health, wellness and resilience in first responders. Vicarious-trauma informed practices are policies that focus on ways to lessen…
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Jan 19
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Full time caregiver

How to Avoid Caregiver Burnout

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Caregiving No Comments
Tips for Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others What happens when the helper does not get help? These empathetic and compassionate caregivers are struggling with burnout. The causes of burnout for caregivers are different than the causes of burnout for those in other fields, although the symptoms are very similar. Physical exhaustion is shown through their aches and pains and the need for rest. Mental exhaustion is shown through…
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Oct 21
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burnout

4 Symptoms of Burnout You Should Be Aware of

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health, Work-Life Balance No Comments
You may not be aware that you are suffering from burnout. We have all gone through a traumatic experience dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it burnout? Is it grief? Or are we all just having a really bad hair day? Now that you are getting back to your usual routine, you may still feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the simplest of tasks. You might get easily angry or frustrated.…
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Oct 21
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recovery from burnout

How to Promote Recovery from Burnout

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health No Comments
Our previous post is on the symptoms and signs of burnout to help you recognize if you display some of those symptoms and what your risk for burnout might be. For individuals who have a high risk or are already dealing with severe burnout symptoms, here are some things you can start doing now to recover and achieve a better balance in your life. How to Recover from Burnout Create…
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Sep 23
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post pandemic workplace

Characteristics of a Quiet Quitter

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health No Comments
Post-pandemic work environment My focus when creating the Palette of Grief® was the physical, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and cognitive responses from a devastating loss. The Palette of Grief® can metaphorically be applied to the current work environment because of the reactions from many employees to the losses they’ve experienced post-pandemic. They are grieving how their job has changed since before the pandemic started, and losing friends and other co-workers who…
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Jul 15
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eyes of a sad child

Do Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Impact First Responders?

By Barbara Rubel Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs), Mental Health, Trauma Informed No Comments
If you are a first responder with a high ACES’s score, does that impact you in any way? Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) are experiences that happen to a child anytime from birth up to their 18th birthday that can be anything from watching or experiencing abuse and violence to being in a household where members have drug or mental health issues. The three types of ACE are: Abuse Neglect Dysfunctional…
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May 19
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ghp pharma

Mental Health Thought-Leader of the Year 2022

By Barbara Rubel Awards, Mental Health No Comments
Announcing the winners of the GHP Mental Health Awards Mental health has been one of the most neglected parts of global healthcare in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a behavioral shift, with mental health and wellbeing taking center stage. Since 2019, many obstacles have been imposed on the mental well-being and health of millions of people throughout the world, and while the world navigates through new territory, the…
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Apr 22
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1st responders

Warning Signs & Symptoms of Compassion Fatigue

By Barbara Rubel Compassion Fatigue No Comments
What Is Compassion Fatigue? Compassion fatigue is a condition that impacts many professions and caregivers in trauma-informed organizations. Medical or healing professions, first responders, law enforcement, therapists, nurses, and other service providers are the most commonly affected by compassion fatigue and empathic distress. Often confused with burnout, compassion fatigue includes emotional, cognitive, physical, behavioral, religious and spiritual reactions due to helping clients, patients or victims, typically through stressful or traumatic events. Those who…
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Feb 11
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burnout in nursing

Nurse Burnout: Risks, Causes, and Precautions

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, Nurse Burnout No Comments
What Is Nurse Burnout? Nurse burnout is a common occurrence marked by a loss of energy, which displays as emotional tiredness, a lack of enthusiasm, and emotions of dissatisfaction, as well as a decrease in work efficacy. Causes of Burnout in Nursing Burnout is a psychological condition that affects many nurses, especially during the COVID pandemic. It's defined by a loss of physical, emotional, and psychological energy as a result…
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Jan 21
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Rubel Triplets

Finding Meaning in Grief and Loss

By Barbara Rubel Grief No Comments
"It's a boy!" the doctor stated as he held up my newborn. He held up the second baby a few minutes later and declared, "It's another boy." It seemed like only a minute before he held up the third baby. I was filled with anticipation as he announced, "It's a male... triplets!". In reference to the television series My Three Sons, I assured him that Fred MacMurray would be proud.…
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Nov 08
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mental health

Being Trauma Informed Builds Organizational Resilience

By Barbara Rubel Trauma Informed, Burnout, Resilience No Comments
Regardless of your field or your level of expertise, you will most probably meet someone in the workplace who is grieving or traumatized. You may know someone who has experienced vicarious trauma, traumatic events, or who is experiencing professional grief. For that matter, you may have been impacted by grief or trauma while doing your job. If you are a leader, you may be seeking resources and strategies for organizational…
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Sep 17
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National Suicide Prevention Month

By Barbara Rubel Suicide Prevention No Comments
What would you say if I asked you if you have the tools that could prevent a suicide? While I was in the hospital waiting for my triplets to be born, my father died by suicide. I was among the 135 persons impacted by every suicide death. As the survivor of a suicide loss, my focus is now on suicide postvention and strategies to provide support after a suicide. I've…
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