Karin Dom Held a National Meeting on the Topic of Professional Burnout

On May 27, 2024, Karin Dom held an online event on the Burnout FREE ECI project. 84 people participated from all over Bulgaria, as well as from Greece. Representatives from different target groups such as social workers, parents of children with special needs, teachers, NGO employees, psychologists, speech therapists, management staff of public and private institutions for social services, economists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, disabled people, representatives and stakeholders of public bodies in the health and social services sectors, current university lecturers and students.

In the first part of the event, Darina Raykova, the project manager, and Dimitrina Bakalova, the project coordinator, presented the achievements so far, as well as the upcoming activities. During the second part, Dr. Nikoleta Yoncheva, speech therapist, Veselina Tincheva, social worker and Virginia Vasileva, psychologist and psychotherapist, presented part of the theory from the teaching materials they developed within the project, as well as some of the coping techniques and practices with the burnout syndrome.

On the project website HERE – a Burnout FREE ECI Hub will be developed, allowing all stakeholders to connect, use and share scientific knowledge, tools, practices and other resources.

Here are some ideas for preventing burnout for parents of children with special needs

• When entering a childcare facility, it is good to prepare a profile of the child – what are their capabilities, preferences, favorite activities, etc. in order for the people who communicate with the child to focus on their capabilities and not deficits;
• Circle of support – parents should look for support in people in their closest circle, be it family or friends;
• Caring for yourself and each other – within the framework of parental relationships;
• Thankfulness list;
• Mood diary;
• Relaxation techniques – through controlled breathing, meditation, etc.