Welcome! Today’s topic is one that’s important to therapy professionals and to first responders, too. To anyone who works with people who are suffering, Vicarious Trauma is important. I just attended a workshop on this topic by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, the author of Trauma Stewardship. 

Here’s what you’ll hear in this episode:

• The terms Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Traumatic Stress are interchangeable.
• Therapists bear witness to the traumatic stories of clients and are affected by them.
• The nature of therapy work requires empathy; it’s honorable, brave, and important work intended to make the world a better place.
• There are small ways to lessen the impact of trauma, by mindfully checking in with yourself and using positive coping methods.
• As a therapist, how much are you “numbing?” We discuss examples.
• Laura recommends spending 12-60 minutes each day, for six days a week, working out to the degree of breaking a sweat.
• We owe it to the people we help to take care of our Vicarious Trauma, and regular exercise is one way to do that.
• Isolation is common in trauma work, because we feel like “nobody understands.”
• The American Counseling Association lists several signs of Vicarious Trauma, including:
• Having difficulty talking about feelings
• Feeling diminished joy
• Feeling trapped by work
• Limited range of emotions
• Exaggerated startle reflex
• Hopelessness
• Trouble sleeping
• Exhaustion
• Conflict with other staff
• Trouble with intimacy
• Feeling withdrawn and isolated
• Impatience, apathy
• A change in worldview
• What can you do to make a difference?
• Have a mindful presence
• Exercise (12-60 min. several days each week)
• Cultivate connection with yourself and others
• Enrich your life by doing things you love, apart from work
• Make meaning

Resources:

www.laurareaganlcswc.com

ACA Fact Sheet on Vicarious Trauma

Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

Trauma Stewardship Institute

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