CF Self Test from ACE

1. I force myself to avoid certain thoughts or feelings that remind me of a frightening experience.

2. I find myself avoiding certain activities or situations because they remind me of a frightening experience.

3. I have gaps in my memory about frightening events.

4. I feel estranged from others.

5. I have difficulty falling or staying asleep.

6. I have outbursts of anger or irritability with little provocation.

7. I startle easily.

8. While working with a victim I thought about violence against the person or persons who victimized.

9. I am a sensitive person.

10. I have had flashbacks connected to my clients and families.

11. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my adult life.

12. I have had first-hand experience with traumatic events in my childhood.

13. I have thought that I need to "work-through" a traumatic experience in my life.

14. I have thought that I need more close friends.

15. I have thought that there is no one to talk with about highly stressful experiences.

16. I have concluded that I work too hard for my own good.

Items about your clients and their families:

17. I am frightened of things traumatized people and their family have said or done to me.

18. I experience troubling dreams similar to a client of mine and their family.

19. I have experienced intrusive thoughts of sessions with especially difficult clients and their families.

20. I have suddenly and involuntarily recalled a frightening experience while working with a client or their family.

21. I am preoccupied with more than one client and their family.

22. I am losing sleep over a client and their family's traumatic experiences.

23. I have thought that I might have been "infected" by the traumatic stress of my clients and their families.

24. I remind myself to be less concerned about the well-being of my clients and their families.

25. I have felt trapped by my work as a helper.

26. I have felt a sense of hopelessness associated with working with clients and their families.

27. I have felt "on edge" about various things and I attribute this to working with certain clients and their families.

28. I have wished that I could avoid working with some clients and their families.

29. I have been in danger working with some clients and their families.

30. I have felt that some of my clients and their families dislike me personally.

Items about being a helper and your work environment:

31. I have felt weak, tired, rundown as a result of my work as a helper.

32. I have felt depressed as a result of my work as a helper.

33. I am unsuccessful at separating work from personal life.

34. I feel little compassion toward most of my co-workers.

35. I feel I am working more for the money than for personal fulfillment.

36. I find it difficult separating my personal life from my work life.

37. I have a sense of worthlessness/disillusionment/resentment associated with my work.

38. I have thoughts that I am a "failure" as a helper.

39. I have thoughts that I am not succeeding at achieving my life goals.

40. I have to deal with bureaucratic, unimportant tasks in my work life.

SCORING INSTRUCTIONS

Make sure you have responded to ALL questions.
Next, circle the following 23 items: 1-8, 10-13, 17-26 and number 29.
Now ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items circled.
Note your risk of Compassion Fatigue

26 or LESS = Extremely LOW risk
27 to 30 = LOW risk
31 to 35 = Moderate risk
36 to 40 = HIGH risk
41 or more = Extremely HIGH risk

To determine your risk of Burnout, ADD the numbers you wrote next to the items NOT circled.
Note your risk of Burnout

19 or less = Extremely LOW risk
20 to 24 = LOW risk
25 to 29 = Moderate risk
30 to 42 = High risk
43 or more = Extremely high risk

Copyright 1994, Florida State University Psychosocial Stress Research Program

This instrument is under development