Introduction Within the profession of therapists and other mental health professionals, comes a clientele that have gone through or are experiencing extremely extraneous conditions that negatively impact their life. As the mental health professional, it is their job to help said clients talk about and overcome these issues. However, in doing so this can cause a phenomenon called secondary or vicarious trauma. Vicarious trauma refers to the cumulative effect of working with traumatized clients: interference with the therapist’s feelings, cognitive schemas, memories, self-esteem, and/or sense of safety (PILAR HERNÁNDEZ, 2010). Vicarious trauma, empathic stress, and compassion fatigue remind us that there is potential for therapists to be psychologically
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A more seasoned mental health professional, appears to have a positive and significant difference. In many of the research studies, it shows that the more experience you have the less likely you are to be subjected to vicarious trauma. For instance, the results of one study involving trauma history, social support and years of experience, supported that for every year increase in paid social work experience, vicarious trauma will go down by .02 points (Lynn M. Michalopoulos, 2011). Newer social workers are more at risk for vicarious trauma, this may simply be because they are adjusting to adversities and struggles they might face as inexperienced social work professionals (Lynn M. Michalopoulos, 2011). Another term that can sometimes be used to describe vicarious trauma is compassion fatigue. Therefore, the more compassion fatigue one has, the more likely these vicarious trauma symptoms will occur. Years of clinical experience was a significant positive predictor of compassion satisfaction indicating that compassion satisfaction significantly increased as years of clinical experience increased (C.D. Craig, 2010). Older age was related to high vicarious post traumatic growth and personal strength an appreciation of life scores (Rebecca Brockhouse, 2011). Furthermore, younger social workers also reported higher physical symptoms and more intrusiveness of client material into off work hours (Kathryn Betts Adams, 2001). Moreover, even a study involving therapist trainees at the most beginning level made suggestions to more experience will have less chance of obtaining secondary trauma. In each case, participants with two or fewer semesters of applied experience reported higher levels of trauma symptoms (Shelah A. Adams, 2008).Those who had a personal trauma history and were newest to the work showed greater disruptions in cognitive beliefs (i.e. safety, selftrust, other-trust, self-esteem),
A more seasoned mental health professional, appears to have a positive and significant difference. In many of the research studies, it shows that the more experience you have the less likely you are to be subjected to vicarious trauma. For instance, the results of one study involving trauma history, social support and years of experience, supported that for every year increase in paid social work experience, vicarious trauma will go down by .02 points (Lynn M. Michalopoulos, 2011). Newer social workers are more at risk for vicarious trauma, this may simply be because they are adjusting to adversities and struggles they might face as inexperienced social work professionals (Lynn M. Michalopoulos, 2011). Another term that can sometimes be used to describe vicarious trauma is compassion fatigue. Therefore, the more compassion fatigue one has, the more likely these vicarious trauma symptoms will occur. Years of clinical experience was a significant positive predictor of compassion satisfaction indicating that compassion satisfaction significantly increased as years of clinical experience increased (C.D. Craig, 2010). Older age was related to high vicarious post traumatic growth and personal strength an appreciation of life scores (Rebecca Brockhouse, 2011). Furthermore, younger social workers also reported higher physical symptoms and more intrusiveness of client material into off work hours (Kathryn Betts Adams, 2001). Moreover, even a study involving therapist trainees at the most beginning level made suggestions to more experience will have less chance of obtaining secondary trauma. In each case, participants with two or fewer semesters of applied experience reported higher levels of trauma symptoms (Shelah A. Adams, 2008).Those who had a personal trauma history and were newest to the work showed greater disruptions in cognitive beliefs (i.e. safety, selftrust, other-trust, self-esteem),