Category Archives: Strategies for Self

Compassion Begins with Curiosity

Lessons Learned from 25+ Years in the Field

In this opening keynote for CARE4YOU 2026, Françoise Mathieu shares her lessons learned from working alongside helping professionals from across the world.

June 2026

Rethinking Addiction

A Conversation on Stigma, Fear, and Hope

In this CARE4YOU 2026 session, psychiatrist, addiction medicine specialist, and author Dr. Nzinga Harrison invites us to challenge what we think we know about addiction.

June 2026

These Are Hard Times, Not Hopeless Times

Reconnecting to Meaning in Our Work

In this CARE4YOU 2026 session, Dr. Jillian Horton explores how advocacy can serve as a pathway back to purpose. She will share small, strategic actions you can take to reclaim your voice and reconnect to the meaning that brought you to this work.

June 2026

Where Can Curiosity Lead Us

CARE4YOU 2026 Closing Address

In the CARE4YOU 2026 closing address, Françoise explores small, everyday practices for bringing curiosity into both our professional and personal lives.

June 2026

You Can’t Meditate Your Way Out of a Stressful Job

A Conversation on Real Self-Care with Dr. Pooja Lakshmin

In this CARE4YOU 2025 session, Françoise Mathieu and Dr. Pooja Lakshmin will talk about what real self-care means for people working in high-stress, trauma-exposed jobs.

June 2025

One Care

How Caring for Geckos, Gorillas, Yourself, and Each Other is Interconnected

In this CARE4YOU 2025 session, Sabrina Brando shares stories from her journey in wildlife care and conservation, as well as insights from her research on self-care practices among zoo and aquarium professionals.

June 2025

Navigating Perfectionism, Stigma, and Shame

A Lawyer-Therapist’s Perspective on Staying Well in Trauma-Exposed Work

In this CARE4YOU 2025 session, Doron Gold shares his lawyer-therapist perspective on how high-stress work impacts our well-being and offers strategies to stay well.

June 2025

Secondary Traumatic Stress 101 Course

Secondary Traumatic Stress 101

On-Demand Course

This course, led by Françoise Mathieu, offers an introduction to secondary traumatic stress (STS) and empathic strain, specifically designed for professionals working in trauma-exposed, high-stress environments.

December 2024

How Challenging Work Changes Us

On-Demand Course

What can we learn from those who retain their compassion and their health in the face of demanding work? In this on-demand course, Francoise Mathieu explores the impact of trauma-exposed work and offers insight, strategies, and tools to help you sustain a rewarding and fulfilling career.

July 2024

“The Other Wet Floor”

The Emotional Risks of Working in a Helping Profession

In this CARE4YOU 2024 session, JD Gilmour explores the “other” occupational risks of working in a helping profession: empathic strain, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and moral distress.

June 2024

Identifying Your Warning Signs

Reflecting on Your Physical, Behavioural, & Emotional Signs of Overwhelm

This downloadable PDF helps you identify your top three warning signs of empathic strain and secondary traumatic stress.

August 2023

What Do You Have to Quit in Order to Stay?

Strategies to Sustain Our Careers

In this CARE4YOU 2023 session, Dr. Brian Miller discusses the importance of noticing our narratives and cultivating realistic ways of improving our relationship to our job stress.

June 2023

CALM

Building Mutual Support through Intentional Listening

In this CARE4YOU 2023 session, Diana Tikasz explores the acronym CALM (Center, Attend, Listen, Mindfully) – four steps to fostering meaningful and intentional connection at work.

June 2023

It’s Not Just Bovines Who Chew the Cud

Understanding Rumination

Rumination can be destructive to our work and life when we feel helpless to escape this cycle of repetitive thoughts. In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana TIkasz, and Dr. Jennifer Russel explore the concept of rumination and share strategies to interrupt the cycle.

August 2022

Positive Neuroplasticity

Settling Tools for the Unsettled

During times of stress, it is normal and common to feel unsettled. In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel explore the the negativity bias and strategies to incorporate positive neuroplasticity during times of adjustment.

May 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

We’re Not Rocking the Pandemic Either

Plus, Polyvagal Theory 101

Polyvagal Theory was first introduced by behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges. In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel share micro-strategies to engage the vagus nerve and regulate the stress response

January 2022

Extra Sleep, But Less Energy

When Depletion Becomes the Norm Q&A

In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel answer questions about chronic fatigue, sleep deficits, overwork.

November 2021

Here We Go (Again)

Finding Joy During Turbulent Times

What are the subtle and critical stories that you tell yourself? In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu and Diana Tikasz explore recalibration, hostile attributions, and strategies to find joy during turbulent times.

September 2021

Faking It

Recognizing Imposter Syndrome

At what point in your career did you move from "faking it" to "making it?" In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel discuss the phenomenon of imposter syndrome and how it manifests early in a helping professional's career.

May 2021

Managing Brain Fog

Strategies to Address Chronic Stress

Though "brain fog" may not be a medical term, it is an apt description of the frustrating cognitive symptoms many of us experience during times of chronic stress. In this discussion, Françoise Mathieu, Diana Tikasz. and Dr. Jennifer Russel explore the neuroscience behind chronic stress.

April 2021

This is A Marathon, Not a Sprint

Dealing with Stress & Uncertainty During COVID-19

In this opening keynote for CARE4YOU 2020, Françoise Mathieu reflects on thinking clearly and balancing personal stressors, the work at hand, and the unpredictability of the pandemic.

June 2020

staying grounded course

Staying Grounded in Stressful Work

On-Demand Course

The pace and competing demands of the modern workplace have left many of us operating in constant stress and overdrive. This on-demand course explores essential strategies to stay grounded and centered.

June 2018