Preventing Vicarious Trauma: What Counselors Should Know When Working With Trauma Survivors

Abstract

Counselors in all settings work with clients who are survivors of trauma. Vicarious trauma, or counselors developing trauma reactions secondary to exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, is not uncommon. The purpose of this article is to describe vicarious trauma and summarize the recent research literature related to this construct. The Constructivist Self-Development Theory (CSDT) is applied to vicarious trauma, and the implications CSDT has for counselors in preventing and managing vicarious trauma are explored.

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“…In regards to forensic interviewing specifically, the participants reported a mean of 5.5 years of experience, with a range of 0.5 to 18 years. All of the participants reported that they had experienced vicarious trauma symptoms, which were indicated by physical symptoms, emotional symptoms, behavioral symptoms, work related issues, interpersonal problems, and/or professional efficacy such as a decrease in concern and esteem for clients (Baird & Jenkins, 2003) [11,[24][25][26][27][28]; Perry, 2003; [29]. Researchers did not inquire about historical mental health and/or trauma of participants prior to the commencement of the study.…”

“…One important occupational construct associated with job stress and turnover is vicarious trauma [6,15]. Theorists differentiate vicarious trauma from other processes related to professional's experiences of their client's trauma (e.g., compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress) in that vicarious trauma is characterized by a shift in intrapersonal processes (i.e., changes in trust, feelings of control, issues of intimacy, esteem needs, safety concerns, and intrusive imagery) as a result of working with traumatized clients [11]. Unlike compassion fatigue (a reduced capacity or interest in being empathic or bearing the suffering of clients which is a consequence of knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a person; [16] or secondary traumatic stress (an acute stress reaction to a secondary traumatic event which mimics post-traumatic stress disorder; PTSD) [8,9,17] vicarious trauma results in a cognitive shift which involves "profound changes in the core aspects of the professional's self and… may involve disruptions in the cognitive schemas" of helping professionals' "identity, memory system, and belief system" [11].…”

“…The underlying premise of this theory is that human beings construct their own personal realities through the development of complex cognitive structures which are used to interpret events [11]. More specifically, CSDT recognizes the influence of an individual's history and/or personality on their perception of traumatic events.…”

“…Vicarious trauma and secondary trauma are the predominant areas of focus for scholars interested in the well-being of trauma professionals. Vicarious trauma is defined as profound changes in an individual's perception of self which results in disruptions of cognitive schemas related to identity, memory and belief systems [11]. This construct is different than secondary trauma which seeks to identify stressors related to helping or wanting to help a traumatized person [7].…”

Integrating a Trauma-Informed Care Perspective in Baccalaureate Social Work Education: Guiding Principles

“…Trauma education also has relevance to understanding and addressing work-related stress, burnout, and organizational trauma (Dane, 2000;Trippany, Kress, & Wilcoxon, 2004). Some research findings suggest that trauma education may be of even greater relevance to preparing bachelor's level social workers for practice.…”