Staff Well-Being and Resilience

Learning Objectives
Core Strategies and Talking Points
Case Examples and Scenarios
Reflection Prompts

Module 7: Staff Well-Being and Resilience

Discussing brain donation with families requires a balance of clarity, honesty, and compassion. Families are often overwhelmed and grieving, and how the information is presented can shape their understanding and comfort with the decision. This module provides guidance on framing the purpose of donation, using clear and accessible language, addressing common misconceptions, and being transparent about the process. The goal is to ensure families feel informed, respected, and supported throughout the conversation.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, participants will be able to:

Recognize the emotional impact of repeated grief-centered conversations.
Identify strategies for maintaining personal well-being and professional resilience.
Understand the role of peer support and organizational resources in preventing burnout
Develop habits of reflection, balance, and self-care that sustain compassionate practice over time.

Core Strategies and Talking Points

1. Acknowledging Emotional Toll
Supporting grieving families can be deeply meaningful, but it also takes a personal toll. Recognizing this impact is the first step toward resilience.

Tip: Normalize emotional fatigue — “It’s okay to feel heavy after these conversations.”
Tip: Pay attention to early signs of burnout such as irritability, numbness, or avoidance.
Tip: Give yourself permission to seek help without guilt.

2. Practicing Self-Care
Resilience grows when staff prioritize their own well-being. Small, intentional practices make a difference.

Tip: Establish boundaries between work and personal life — e.g., decompression rituals before going home.
Tip: Use mindfulness, exercise, journaling, or other grounding activities to reset emotionally.
Tip: Schedule time off proactively rather than waiting until you feel overwhelmed.

3. Peer Support and Debriefing
Colleagues are an important resource for processing difficult experiences.

Tip: Take time to debrief after emotionally charged conversations, even briefly.
Tip: Share experiences with peers who understand the unique challenges of this work.
Tip: Encourage a culture where talking about emotions is seen as strength, not weakness.

4. Building Long-Term Resilience
Resilience isn’t just coping in the moment — it’s cultivating habits that sustain you over years.

Tip: Engage in ongoing professional development to build confidence and reduce stress.
Tip: Reconnect with your purpose — reflect on the meaning of the work and the legacy of donors.
Tip: Use institutional resources (employee wellness programs, counseling, spiritual care) when needed.

Case Examples and Scenarios

Case examples illustrate how staff responses to stress can either undermine or strengthen their resilience. These scenarios highlight the difference between neglecting self-care and practicing healthy coping strategies, showing how even small choices can impact both staff well-being and family interactions.

Case Example 1: Ignoring Self-Care

Less Effective: A staff member takes multiple back-to-back calls without pause, feels emotionally drained, and becomes short with a family.
More Effective: The staff member schedules brief breaks, does a short breathing exercise after a difficult call, and returns to the next conversation calm and centered.

Case Example 2: Isolation vs. Peer Support

Less Effective: A staff member bottles up emotions, believing they must stay “strong,” and begins to dread conversations.
More Effective: The staff member checks in with a colleague afterward: “That was a tough one — can we talk it through?” They leave feeling lighter and supported.

Case Example 3: Resilience in Practice

Less Effective: After several difficult weeks, a staff member considers leaving the role because it feels too heavy.
More Effective: The staff member revisits the thank-you notes from donor families and remembers the impact of their work. They seek supervision and make a plan for more regular rest.

Reflection Prompts

Reflection prompts invite staff to look inward at their own habits, triggers, and sources of renewal. By considering these questions, staff can identify practical ways to protect their emotional health, build resilience, and remain compassionate in their work with families.

1. How do you typically feel after a difficult family conversation? Do you notice patterns in your responses (tired, anxious, numb)?
Reflect on your immediate emotional and physical reactions — do you feel drained, restless, tearful, or disconnected? Over time, patterns may emerge (e.g., certain types of conversations leaving you more exhausted than others). Recognizing these responses is the first step in developing healthier ways to decompress.

2. What self-care practices help you reset after emotionally demanding days? Which ones could you add to your routine?
Think about the activities that truly restore you — exercise, journaling, music, meditation, spending time with loved ones, or even short breaks. Are you practicing them consistently, or only when overwhelmed? Consider small, realistic habits you could add (like 5 minutes of mindful breathing after calls) that make resilience sustainable.

3. How comfortable are you seeking support from peers or supervisors? What holds you back, and what might help you reach out more often?
Do you find it easy to debrief with others, or do you tend to keep your feelings to yourself? Reflect on barriers — fear of appearing “unprofessional,” lack of time, or not wanting to burden others. What changes (like a buddy system or scheduled debrief check-ins) could make support-seeking feel safer and more natural?

4. Think of a time when you felt resilient despite challenges. What factors or habits supported that resilience?
Recall a moment when you endured difficulty but came through stronger — perhaps by leaning on peers, setting boundaries, or remembering the importance of your work. Which habits or supports helped then? How can you build those same strategies into your current routine to reinforce long-term resilience?

5. How do you reconnect with the meaning and purpose of your work when the emotional weight feels heavy?
On hard days, what helps remind you why this work matters — is it gratitude from families, reflecting on the donor’s legacy, or seeing the bigger impact of research? Explore how you might intentionally revisit those sources of meaning (e.g., reviewing thank-you notes, team reminders of impact, personal reflection) as part of your resilience practice.