Understanding compassion fatigue among child and adolescent psychotherapists: insights from a thematic analysis

Compassion fatigue is a critical professional challenge for child and adolescent psychotherapists. It stems from prolonged exposure to clients' trauma and emotional suffering, resulting in the depletion of emotional and empathic resources.

This qualitative study adopted a phenomenological approach and used thematic analysis to examine data collected through semi-structured interviews.

Participants described compassion fatigue as a gradual erosion of empathy and vitality that extends beyond emotional exhaustion to impair their ethical and relational capacities.

The findings underscore the necessity of systemic and culturally sensitive supports, such as clinical supervision, balanced workloads, and organizational awareness, to protect therapists' emotional well-being and maintain compassionate engagement in psychotherapy.