Getting a Grip

Charities urged to step up efforts to help workers better cope with stress

By Caroline Preston

Stress is certainly nothing new for charity workers: too much to do, too little time, not enough

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money — and the knowledge that falling short of their goals could hurt those they are deeply committed to helping.

For some employees, the mental strain goes well beyond routine pressures. Staff members at humanitarian organizations, child-care groups, mental-health charities, and other types of nonprofit institutions that work with survivors of trauma are particularly prone to experiencing post-traumatic stress or other disorders. Without effective ways to cope with job-related stress, an employee's physical health can also suffer.

While no statistics exist on the prevalence of stress among all nonprofit employees, studies of roughly 1,000 relief workers have found that 10 percent of humanitarian workers who moved abroad to provide aid suffer multiple symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, about 15 percent show high indications of clinical depression, and nearly 30 percent show signs of burnout.

Tight Resources

For many nonprofit groups, however, finding the time and money to make changes that experts say could help reduce the incidence of stress and burnout can be hard to do. Most charity leaders operate on very tight budgets, and they can't easily funnel money toward aiding staff members and away from services. What's more, charity officials are sometimes skeptical that anything can be done.

But experts say there are many steps that charities should be taking. Most importantly, they recommend that organizations foster an environment in which staff members feel comfortable talking about their experiences. Weekly meetings can provide staff members a chance to share the sorts of troubling events they might have witnessed.

Maintaining relationships with friends and family members, taking vacation time, and limiting the hours spent with clients can also prove key. "This kind of work encourages people to work 24/7," says John Fawcett, deputy director of staff wellness at Save the Children, in Westport, Conn. "But we've found that's counterproductive."

Charities might also consider bringing in consultants from outside organizations to train staff members in coping with stress and trauma. The Headington Institute (in Pasadena, Calif.), the Trauma Research, Education, and Training Institute (New Britain, Conn.), the Center for Mind-Body Medicine (Washington), and the Children's Health Fund (New York), among other organizations, offer workshops and training sessions. Experts also recommend meditation and other relaxation techniques, exercise, and proper nutrition.

Some charities may also choose to screen job applicants carefully. People who have suffered from traumatic events in the past, or who struggle with substance abuse, may face extra hurdles in coping with tough jobs.

But many people warn that there's not enough research about why some people cope better than others.

"There's a trap you fall into in thinking you've been successful in screening out people who can't take care of themselves," says Charles R. Figley, director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute, in Tallahassee. "But we haven't really answered the question of why some people are more prone to this."

Support From Grant Makers

Many of the larger relief and development organizations, meanwhile, have created full-time staff positions in recent years to focus on the emotional well-being of staff members. These staff members help organize efforts to prepare workers for missions overseas and conduct debriefings when they return. They may also help develop and put in place protocols for handling stress and trauma.

A few grant makers have also started to give money to help charity workers better cope with stress. A new effort from the Duke Endowment, in Charlotte, N.C., for example, will put $12-million over the next seven years into efforts to improve the physical and emotional health of virtually all of North Carolina's 1,600 United Methodist pastors.

The Stewardship Foundation, in Tacoma, Wash., has also started to give money for mental-health support for charity aid workers by supporting the Headington Institute. "We on the foundation side could do a better job of recognizing this as a priority," says Cary Paine, the foundation's executive director. "And grant seekers could probably do a better job of thinking about how to make the case that this is a good investment."