Is your empathy helping you—or wearing you down?

If you’re in a helping profession, this conversation will speak to your heart and your nervous system.

In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, Dr. Stan Steindl speaks with Tanya Cooper, a Melbourne-based clinical psychologist, Motivational Interviewing trainer, and longtime member of MINT. With over 25 years of experience, Tanya offers profound insights into the emotional cost of care work and how to sustain compassion without burning out.

Drawing from her personal journey during Melbourne’s intense lockdowns and the work of thinkers like Jamil Zaki, Babette Rothschild, and Kristin Neff, Tanya explores the concept of an "empathy ecosystem"—and how understanding the balance between experience sharing, cognitive empathy, and compassion can help us stay grounded, regulated, and truly helpful.

Whether you’re a therapist, social worker, nurse, teacher, or carer, this conversation is packed with wisdom, warmth, and practical strategies to protect your empathy and nurture your wellbeing.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Compassion in a T-Shirt

00:06 Meet Tanya Cooper: A Deep Dive into Empathy

01:44 The Emotional Toll of Being a Psychologist

02:52 Impact of the Pandemic on Mental Health

04:11 Navigating Empathy During Lockdown

07:30 The Concept of an Empathy Ecosystem

18:45 Personal Stories and Professional Insights

26:27 Exploring the Three Modes of Empathy

26:50 Empathy in Competitive and Compassionate Contexts

28:31 Individual Differences in Empathy

29:55 Empathy and the Pandemic

38:44 Self-Care and Regulation During Crisis

41:36 The Power of Small Gestures

48:20 Taking in the Good

52:02 Final Reflections on Empathy and Self-Care

If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/ 

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Video hashtags:

empathy burnout, compassion fatigue, motivational interviewing, mental health professionals, nervous system regulation, Tanya Cooper, Compassion in a T-Shirt, Dr Stan Steindl, self-compassion, cognitive empathy, Jamil Zaki, Babette Rothschild, Kristin Neff, polyvagal theory, vicarious trauma, emotional resilience, pandemic mental health