It’s Not Just Bovines Who Chew the Cud
Understanding Rumination
About the Video
“Chewing the cud” is a process by which cows and other animals (known as ruminants) digest their food. They do this by chewing and rechewing the same food, over and over again.
Psychology borrowed the term “ruminating” to describe a pattern of thinking about a situation that is repetitive, or even obsessive. Rumination can be destructive to our work and life when we feel helpless to escape the cycle.
In this session, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz, and Dr. Jennifer Russel explore rumination. What is it? Why do we engage in it? And what are strategies to interrupt the cycle?
Recorded in August 2022 as part of the Psychological PPE Program.
About the Presenters
Françoise Mathieu
M. Ed, RP
Françoise Mathieu is an educator, speaker, and trauma-trained therapist. She is the author of The Compassion Fatigue Workbook, founding member of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Consortium, and the Executive Director of TEND.
Diana Tikasz
MSW, RSW
Diana Tikasz has worked in the teaching and health care sector for over 30 years and specializes in trauma-focused work. Diana is a TEND Associate and Organizational Health Specialist for the Roadmap to Organizational Health program.
Dr. Jennifer Russel
MD, FRCPC(C), MSW
Dr. Jennifer Russel is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and a TEND Associate. She is the Clinical Director of the Compass Program at BCCH, the first provider support program in Canada, and the Consulting Psychiatrist for the Physician Health Program in BC.
Where to go next?
Breaking Your Heart At Work
A Conversation About Career-Sustaining Practices with Dr. Brian Miller
Dr. Brian Miller is an author, researcher, and trauma clinician. In this conversation, he shares his lessons learned about secondary traumatic stress, career-sustaining practices, his research into the CE-CERT model.
October 2021
Reducing Secondary Traumatic Stress
Skills for Sustaining a Career in the Helping Professions
In this book, Dr. Brian MIller offers evidence-informed skills and strategies to regulate distressing emotions and to foster increased empathy for those suffering from trauma.
December 2022
Making Micro-Decisions
Choosing the Path Our Thoughts Take
In a single day, we may have anywhere between 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts. in this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana TIkasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel explore micro-strategies to guide your thoughts towards healthier, kinder, and more mindful decisions.
March 2022