Empathy Fatigue training with North Devon Council, Sept 2026. “Brilliant training. Steven made the whole day not only knowledgably, but fun too!"
Greetings one and all,
Last week I had the absolute joy of travelling down to Devon to deliver my brand-new course, ‘Raising the Drawbridge’ - Empathy Fatigue and Rational Compassion. North Devon Council have invested in the well-being of their staff, and it was lovely to be surrounded by so many inspirational people. The course that I created for them is inspired by my original ‘Empathy Fatigue’ course but now it has a wholly different approach, based on lots of up to date, contemporary research. From post-traumatic growth to lowering the boundaries, I have developed a course that address the root causes of burnout and fatigue.
I am loving seeing the difference that the course is making, and I think the staff were rather intrigued by this bloke from North Staffordshire, striding into their arena and saying, “Righty oh – lets see what we can do to combat our fatigue!?” I had so many learners wait to speak to me at the end of the training, and I’ve now made a fair few new chums.
We laughed, we learned and the feedback on each day was 100% positive!
What is the new version of the course all about then Steven? Well, let me enlighten you…
Aim: By the completion of the course all learners will have explored how to work compassionately with both colleagues and customers.
Objectives: By the end of the session, you will have:
1. Described what is meant by empathy fatigue and burnout.
2. Explored the need for boundaries.
3. Explored the different reactions of people living with empathy fatigue and / or burnout.
4. Explored ambivalence and how to reduce resistance and sustain talk in both us and our customers.
5. Explained the reasons to avoid SMOG language.
6. Explained rescuer behaviour and the dangers of falling into that role.
7. Determined how to continue to work within a stressful work environment.
8. Described what is meant by empathy and rational compassion.
9. Described how to prioritise and disregard things outside the circles of influence or concern.
10. Explored how to stop defensiveness and build purpose building behaviours.
11. Recognised the need for self-regulation and being open and honest about stresses.
Collated feedback from day one:
“Brilliant training. Steven made the whole day not only knowledgably, but fun too! Thanks Steven, 😊 x”
Julie
“I really enjoyed Steven’s training session, he made everyone feel at ease and he was so very knowledgeable. The delivery of the sessions was fun and light-hearted. Thank you. 😊”
Jennie
“Enjoyable and informative. Thought provoking. I will take stock of the learning materials and bring it into my work life.”
Wendy
“Thank you Steven, for a very positive and enjoyable training day, well done!”
Symon
“Very thought provoking in a safe space. A good mixture of exercises and practical rather than it being theory led. Thank you. 😊”
Helen
“VERY interesting stuff. Thank you.”
Kane
“I thought that the training was well thought out. Steven was very enthusiastic and made the training both fun and exciting.”
Anon
“Very engaging and informative. The day went very quickly, showing how engaged we all were.”
Vix
“It was great to take time out to focus on empathy fatigue and how it affects you at work and has an impact on those around you.”
Jenny
“Very informative and interesting.”
Anon
“I was happy with this training. Pretty much what I expected. Empathy Fatigue is not quite what I expected it to be. Nice to know that I am not suffering from it!”
Ross
“Thank you Steven, it was very enjoyable and informative.”
Anon
“I really enjoyed the course, very enlightening and light-hearted too. Steven was very informative.”
Jayne
“The session was very engaging; Steven was very knowledgeable.”
Sarah
“I came in dreading it, fearing role play and being singled out or boredom, but found it thought provoking, humorous and informative! 😊”
Kay
“Very interesting and eye opening!”
Helen
“Enjoyable, fun, interesting training, well balanced and at a good pace too.”
Kelly