The purpose of this study was to investigate social workers' impact of emotional work with their clients and what strategies they use to deal with it. Swedish research in this area is very limited. International research shows that both social workers and (primarily) healthcare professionals are emotionally affected. The importance of awareness was emphasized and the requirement for more knowledge. This study was based on seven qualitative interviews conducted with social workers. The theoretical approach included the concepts of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction and the theory of coping-strategies. We analyzed the material thematically which resulted in the conclusion that social workers are both positively and negatively affected emotionally by their work. The impact has been shown primarily through evidence of exhaustion. Each social worker interviewed managed the negative impact of their work with individual strategies. The general strategy was to prioritize their health and create time for recovery. The results illustrated  the need for an increase in understanding of the importance of valuing the well-being of social workers. This would benefit not just social workers, but also the clients they serve.

Background: Compassion-fatigue is a condition which therapists are forced into as a consequence of the nature of their work. The phenomenon has historically, and to some extent currently, been described as secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress and burnout. The goal of this paper is to bring clarity as to what the phenomenon is and how it has been used in research, how common it is, what factors have been identified in the research that increase or decrease risk of developing it and lastly if any attempts have been made to develop a specific approach in preventing and/or treating the condition. Method: This current paper is a scoping review with a systematic approach.12 published studies, quantitative and qualitative in nature, were included and passed for review. Results: The result of the review indicates a deficit in data regarding prevalence of the phenomenon in the population and a general lack of randomized and experimental data. Most of the published studies were exploring psychologist experiences and secondarily attempting to identify factors predicting the development of compassion-fatigue. In conclusion, the phenomenon, regardless of what term is used, seems to be clearly delineated from conditions more akin to exhaustion and depression. Discussion: According to this study compassion-fatigue seems to be a condition that is sparked by the extraneous use of one’s empathic abilities past a tolerable point. Increased exposure by psychologists to work with patients with trauma may increase the risk of developing compassion-fatigue. It is still unknown what the mechanisms are that causes the condition and its prevalence among the population and further research, preferably randomized and experimental with comparison groups, is needed in order for this area to be fully mapped and explained.