Dr Christina Baird is an Auckland-based psychologist leading a movement of kindness that transforms workplaces, enabling people to be themselves and find joy in their work. She focuses on supporting staff in helping and caring roles to care for themselves and their teams effectively. Her expertise includes leadership development coaching, workshops on values and creating kind cultures, and well-being support for those experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue. Passionate about learning, she holds a PhD in psychology and a certificate in professional supervision. Her diverse experience in the non-profit and health sectors encompasses university tutoring, leadership development with tertiary students, training and supporting aid and development professionals, and supporting families and patients in palliative care. She currently serves as the chair of the board of ISMNZ.

Session description

• Recognising the well-being challenges and risks involved for practitioners in caring for at-risk cross-border learners.  
• Cultivating protective professional boundaries.
• Yes, but this is the real world! Exploring practical responses to the challenges of creating cultures of care.

This session will explore the risks and challenges to the well-being of practitioners caring for at-risk cross-border students. Highlighting impacts such as chronic stress, burnout, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and moral distress.  The session will then examine the protective role of cultivating professional boundaries and explore the differing levels of responsibility for the management of the risks associated with practitioner wellbeing. In the context of increasing demand and limited resources, we will collaboratively address some real-world challenges for the purpose of creating cultures of care and wellbeing for practitioners.