Self-Care Isn't A Luxury - Avoid Burnout With A Six Step Care Plan

*Presented in ASL*

Have you ever thought you were “too busy” for self-care? That self-care is an indulgence you don’t have time or money for? If so, this workshop is for you. As interpreters and students – and people with multiple roles - we are in between cultures and languages. We are often asked to do the impossible with little to no support. All interpreters have interpreted situations without any prep materials provided (or provided so late that there is no time to effectively prepare!), or without the promised team interpreter. All of us have experienced physical and emotional fatigue, perhaps regularly. 

Each of us has wondered at some point why we are doing this work. Interpreting is one of the most stressful professions that exists, and we need to have some strategies to deal with that stress. This workshop will help you understand the necessity of self-care, develop a plan for it, and consider the many facets to self-care. Hopefully you will come to see self-care as the necessity it is.

Educational Objectives

• Upon successful completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
• Define self-care as it is intended for use in this workshop
• Identify 6 different areas of self-care that are essential to focus on
• Develop a personal action plan for the 6 different areas of self-care
• Express their plan for monitoring of and accountability for their self-care plan
• Articulate potential barriers to self-care, as well as solutions to those barriers
• Articulate self-care as a pre-assignment control they can use to ensure they provide the best
• interpretation possible

LIISA MENDOZA

Liisa Mendoza brings more than 35 years of ASL experience and exposure to this workshop. She has been an ASL-English interpreter for over 30 years and an ASL instructor for over 20 years, in a variety of settings. While her full-time job is an ASL and Interpreting instructor at a community college, she interprets in the community multiple times a week. Her specialties include theatrical, concert, and recovery interpreting. Liisa has interpreted for several famous hearing and Deaf people. Additionally, Liisa serves as the interpreter coordinator at her college. Liisa holds a B.A. in Deaf Studies/Interpreting and a B.S. in Child Development with a focus on language acquisition. In her “spare time” she enjoys being with her family, traveling, and focusing on self-care.