NCJ Number
227169
Date Published
2008
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This resource booklet is intended to assist professionals and volunteers whose own lives have been adversely affected by working with trauma victims, so they can recognize vicarious trauma and its effects in their lives and develop strategies and techniques for coping with it.
Abstract
Vicarious trauma is defined as the cumulative transformative effects upon the trauma therapist of working with survivors of traumatic life events. It is a process through which the professional's inner experience is negatively transformed through empathic engagement with a client's trauma material (McCann and Pearlman (1990). The experience of vicarious trauma is stressful and can lead to burnout whose symptoms are emotional exhaustion, diminished productivity, and depersonalization or cynicism. This booklet describes some of the potential indicators of vicarious trauma based in physical, behavioral, social, emotional, spiritual, and attitudinal symptoms. The booklet notes different effects of vicarious trauma relative to the type of trauma experienced by a client. Healthy and adaptive coping strategies for vicarious trauma are described. They include seeking support from colleagues, mental relaxation through meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, healthy sleep, practicing awareness of inner thoughts and feelings, balancing life and work, and focusing on the value and achievements of one's therapeutic work. Suggestions for planning and implementing self-care are also offered, along with strategies and suggestions for organizational support, supervision, and peer connections for the workplace. 44 resource listings