Yes, sometimes when an addict slumps into their probation counselor's office insisting that their urine sample was tampered with, their counselor wants nothing more than to tell them off.

At least a handful of probation workers admitted to such frustrations Thursday, during a training session at Butler County Community College. The session, one of several in a two-day conference titled Butler County Faces Addiction, centered on combating an effect called “compassion fatigue.”

The idea is simple: endless numbers of strung-out clients can impact counselors' ability to empathize, getting in the way of their job.

Shawn Pugh, a grant writer in Butler County's court system, organized the event and hopes it'll be the first of an annual conference in Butler. He picked out topics for breakout sessions and honed in on compassion fatigue as one such topic, after noticing a problem in the area.

“People here have this attitude of, 'Oh just let them die',” Pugh said. “They say, let them have two shots of Narcan then let them die, or something like that. But what if after the tenth time, that person suddenly gets it? Isn't it worth it then?”

Thursday's conference includes a second day of programming on Friday that is not open to the public. That day's programs teach law enforcement and related workers to better identify drug use that's hiding in plain sight.

Read more about the meeting in the Butler Eagle.