Sunday Assembly Portland

The June Assembly focuses on Helping More with guest speaker Kateryna Sylaska presenting: Revisiting the tortoise and the hare: Social support as a marathon, not a sprint. In this talk, Dr. Sylaska discusses the “helper fatigue” experienced by long-term providers of social support. She begins her talk focusing on helping those victimized by a romantic partner. Our care for others often leads us to rush or pressure victims into leaving the relationship. However, our well-intentioned behavior often actually serves to diminish victims’ help-seeking, and simultaneously leads us to experience “helper fatigue.” Dr. Sylaska shares her research on this issue, including the perspectives of both victims/survivors and social supports. This work indicates some promising avenues for supporting victim/survivors through their process of leaving and beyond. She concludes her talk by connecting these themes to her latest research involving understanding how to combat “helper fatigue” experienced by helpers of individuals with chronic illness. 

Kateryna Sylaska is a visiting professor of psychology at Reed College where she teaches undergraduate courses in social psychology, gender & sexuality, statistics, and research methods. As an applied scientist, her focus is ultimately on translational research—using science to inform public policy, and general community education efforts.