The Unseen Cost: A Discussion of the Secondary Traumatization Experience of the Clergy

Abstract

The vocation of clergy life can be a hazardous journey. Stress and burnout are issues, which are increasingly reported by clerics. Burnout is defined by a constellation of work related symptoms (Doolittle, Mental Health, Religion & Culture,10(1), [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] 2007), with emotional exhaustion recognised as a core component. Despite this recognition the research has not focused on factors which lead to this state of emotional exhaustion in particular secondary traumatization. The purpose of this article is threefold. Firstly, it presents the theoretical framework of secondary trauma. Secondly it reviews the literature aligning clergy and trauma work and thirdly it discuses the emotional and physical toll upon clergy from this aspect of their role.

Interpersonal stress in ministry: The lived experiences of female clergy cancer survivors

“…A career in ministry can be a very challenging call that is often accompanied by numerous hazards (Hendron et al, 2012). For the participants in this study, their personal and professional challenges were greatly influenced by their gender as well as the people they were called to serve.…”

“…Answering God’s call to a career in ministry often entails significant stress. “Those who have chosen the vocation of clergy life have perhaps without realization embarked upon a hazardous journey” (Hendron, Irving, & Taylor, 2012, p. 222). The hazards associated with clergy life often result from the expectations of others, self, and the culture itself (Zikmund, Lummis, & Chang, 1998).…”

“…As Van Tholen faced his own mortality, he realized that no matter how many sermons he had preached about grace, he knew little about it, and had not accepted God’s grace for the inadequate ways he fulfilled his calling. The first-person accounts written by Schaper (2002) and Van Tholen (1999) evidence how those called to religious and spiritual ministry are not exempt from having to find ways to cope with the challenges of cancer amidst an already stressful career (Hendron et al, 2012).…”

Clergy and mental health clinician collaboration in Sweden: Pilot Survey of COPE

“…In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the harmful effects on professionals working with traumatised individuals, and the risk for professionals to develop similar trauma symptoms. Lack of supervision is a significant risk factor (Hendron, Irving, & Taylor, 2012) for this secondary traumatisation (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995). This is a discussion that needs to be pursued more within the Church of Sweden.…”

I Stay and I Follow: Clerical Reflections on Pastoral Care for Victims of Sexual Abuse

“…Here, the clerics' lack of support and of their own strategies, both to help the confidant as well as to protect themselves, sometimes led to the cleric feeling like a victim her/himself. As counseling is increasingly becoming an important aspect of the ministerial role (e.g., Hendron, Irving, & Taylor, 2012), there is a need to support clerics in this task.…”