Compassionate Lifesaving: Taking Care of You and Your Team to Save More Animals, Part 1 of 2

Burnout and compassion fatigue with their long-term consequences are real in every animal-helping organization. It is inevitable that somewhere along the road to saving more lives, your passion turns into frustration, depletion and feeling overwhelmed.

With so many animals to save, recognizing and attending to your own needs often fall to the bottom of our priority list. But self-care and concern for each other are not only crucial to your well-being and each other, but essential to continuing this lifesaving work.

In this session (Part 1 of 2), you will discover proactive tools to help you and your team face the challenges and restore the joy in this heart-driven work.

Presented by Linda Harper and Faith Maloney

About Linda Harper: 

Linda R. Harper, Ph.D. is a lifelong animal lover and advocate, and has been a clinical psychologist in the Chicagoland area for 35 years. As the founder of Blessed Bonds, a foster-based program that keeps people and pets together, she understands the physical, mental, and emotional stress that comes with this heart-driven work. Linda is a frequent speaker at animal welfare conferences and she gives workshops locally and throughout the country. Linda facilitates the pet loss support group sponsored by the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association. She is the author of four books including The Power of Joy in Giving to Animals (with foreword and contributions by Best Friends' co-founder Faith Maloney). Linda lives with her husband, Mario, and a variety of furry friends; her pet sitter affectionately refers to her home as "the land of the misfits."

About Faith Maloney: 

Faith Maloney is one of the co-founders of Best Friends Animal Society. In the early days, Faith started Dogtown at the Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. She spent many years in the direct care and feeding of the dogs as well as many of the other animals at the Sanctuary. These days Faith works with people wanting to start and run their own animal sanctuaries or rescue programs through many of the workshops presented at the Sanctuary, as well as consulting with people all around the world wanting to help the animals in their communities. Faith also writes articles on animal issues and animal care for Best Friends magazine and other publications. 

Faith was born in England but has lived in the US since 1971. Prior to working with Best Friends, Faith was involved with animal care in a small private sanctuary in Pennsylvania, and with counseling and social work in New York and Chicago. She has three children. Her son is a veterinarian in Phoenix, Arizona. Her oldest daughter is a school teacher in Beaufort, South Carolina and her youngest daughter works at the sanctuary in administration. She has two grandchildren. Faith has been a vegan for 20 years and believes that this is an extension of her work in caring for all animals.

Establish a Lifesaving Foundation, Budget and Staff Allocation Aligns with Goals, People Management, self-care, compassion fatigue, healing the healer,