Most organizations have a limited definition of “caregiver”—that is, one who provides personal or medical help to one who is physically ill or incapacitated. Our desire is to service all people who have committed their lives to helping others in need. We use the terms “caregiver” and “human services worker” interchangeably to refer to this dedicated and diverse community.

Human services workers embody the heart of social change. They ease suffering, provide catalysts for growth, and see to the well-being of society’s most neglected, indigent and invisible members. We can see that there is already a network set up for change here in Los Angeles. However, a large part of it is running on reserve power. We want to literally infuse energy into this network. We are offering support to organizations that already exist, already have target populations that they serve, and already have educated and committed employees.

Despite the critical role they serve in our world, human services workers are largely unappreciated and under-compensated. Their own needs often remain unacknowledged or ignored, creating a cycle of burnout that destroys their vitality and passion for their work, rendering them significantly less effective with clients. Everyone loses.

GAO (2003) statistics show that the average tenure of child welfare workers is less than 2 years. This hardly provides the reliable continuity essential for a child’s healthy development. States estimate that 60% of turnover is preventable. (ACF, APHSA & CWLA (2001)) Emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction are major causes of turnover and absenteeism (Maslach, 1978). Though the human services industry has come to accept burnout as a normal consequence of business-as-usual, we believe that exhaustion, stress, disillusionment, and powerlessness are treatable and preventable.

Professional caregivers working within current models of service suffer alarming rates of burnout or “compassion fatigue.” A contributing factor to compassion fatigue is the feeling of failure that human service workers can experience when their clients are not responding to their support or intervention. This can create cynicism and blame toward clients, and hopelessness and worthlessness toward themselves. They become depleted and ineffective. With this dynamic in play, human services work is not a sustainable field. Organizations suffer by losing veteran workers who offer an expertise of the field and consistency for the clients.

BeHold aims to revitalize the human services field by bringing Integrated Energy Therapy (IET) sessions to care providers. IET is an innovative, hands-on holistic therapy method that is especially effective for reducing stress and other symptoms of burnout while bolstering an individual’s passion and vitality. Lasting change occurs for care providers as their sense of value, contribution and self-empowerment is regained. Organizations will reach new levels of effectiveness with a revitalized veteran workforce. This will provide the reliable continuity essential for their programs’ success.