The Emotional Toll of Teaching: An Exploration of Teacher Perceptions of Empathy-Based Stress and Possible Interventions

This qualitative case study explored the personal and professional impacts of empathy-based stress (EBS) among teachers at Woodlawn High School, a Title I school in the mid-Atlantic region. As rates of student trauma and systemic challenges have intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic (Diliberti et al., 2021; Fitzgerald et al., 2021), teachers increasingly navigate heightened emotional demands with limited institutional support (Lawson et al., 2019). Grounded in Constructivist Self-Development Theory (McCann & Pearlman, 1990a), this study sought to answer two research questions: (1) How are teachers at Woodlawn High School experiencing and being impacted by empathy-based stress in their personal and professional lives, and (2) How does targeted trauma-informed professional development influence teachers' understanding and management of empathy-based stress? Data collection occurred in two phases, including pre- and post-surveys administered during a trauma-informed professional development session, followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that teachers experienced significant emotional exhaustion, with many describing a tension between the desire to support students and the reality of their own unmet needs. Participants generally found the professional development session validating and informative, with several noting that strategies such as mindfulness and self-care practices were helpful in managing emotional overload. However, results also suggest that isolated professional development opportunities are insufficient without broader systemic change. This study contributes to the emerging literature on teacher well-being by amplifying educator voices and highlighting the importance of sustained, trauma-informed supports to promote both personal resilience and professional efficacy.