Exploring Shared Trauma in the Time of COVID: A Simulation-Based Survey Study of Mental Health Clinicians

Abstract

From fear of contracting the virus, isolation from physical distancing, to navigating lifework balance, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to leave long-lasting psychosocial impacts on many. Shared trauma refers to similar psychological reactions to an extraordinary community event when experienced by both the clinicians and clients. We examined the experiences mong mental health clinicians in Canada and the United States (n = 196) in this online survey study during the second phase of the pandemic (Spring 2021). In addition to using traditional survey items (e.g., demographics, scales, and short answers), we also used video-recorded Simulated Clients (SC; i.e., professional actors) as a novel method to elicit the participants’ assessment of the SCs and the psychosocial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using shared trauma as a theoretical framework, we analyzed both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative results suggested that although these mental health clinicians certainly reported experiencing psychosocial impacts of the pandemic themselves, these shared experiences with client and general populations did not greatly impact how they understood the SCs. Qualitative results helped further contextualize the clinicians’ own personal and professional lives. Implications for clinical practice and further research related to shared trauma are discussed.

Social Work at the Interface of Covid-19: An Exploratory Study at a University of Technology

“…They lamented that in comparison to other helping professionals, little attention was devoted to the risks practitioners faced and their lack of access to personal protective equipment. A Canadian survey of 2,470 practitioners revealed other stressors that social workers faced (Asakura et al, 2023). With regards to their employment, the following was found: heavier workloads emerged for some; loss of employment and redeployment to new settings for others; personal concern for their health; decreased number of clients being seen in private practice; and greater personal caregiving responsibilities.…”