Anne Pfaender

Creatively Focused

Creatively Focused is an educational services and technology company providing support through a web-based platform and a team of special education experts. Our vision is to increase the retention rate of special educators, as well as other human- services fields, through a web-based platform addressing the primary reasons for early burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Across industries, it will cost the United States $190 billion this year. In special education, 50% of educators will experience burnout within 5 years and 75% will experience it within 10 years. Meanwhile, the number of students requiring a special educator will continue to rise annually and the number of people entering the profession will decrease. Researchers and employers are addressing the issue of burnout by placing an emphasis on internal collaboration and increased praise. Their efforts, while focused and appreciated, often fall short due to the need for ongoing support to be provided throughout various times and the need for a full picture understanding of the employee's day to day work. At the end of each work day, employees in human- service fields want to know there is someone they can talk to and say "today was hard" and receive supportive words (and sometimes resources) without needing to explain their unique circumstances. Creatively Focused launched axis3, THE solution for human-service related burnout.