Mitigating Secondary Trauma Risks in Social Work

Working as a therapist is no easy task. Those in the mental health field choose this profession because they genuinely want to make a positive impact on others' lives. 

However, this commitment also means they regularly interact with individuals going through tough situations.

In the United States, more than half of men (60.7%) and women (51.2%) have faced at least one traumatic event during their lifetime. 

Sadly, mental health professionals often find themselves experiencing secondary trauma as they empathize with their clients.

To thrive in this challenging environment, therapists must possess strong emotional resilience. 

This resilience is crucial not only for their mental well-being but also to avoid burnout and provide the best possible care for their clients. 

If you're a mental health professional, it's essential to recognize the risks of secondary trauma and take proactive steps to prevent it.

In this article, we will understand secondary trauma in detail, explore common signs of vicarious trauma, and learn strategies for how to prevent it.

What Is Secondary Trauma?

Secondary trauma is the stress that comes from helping someone recover from a traumatic experience or learning about the details of that trauma. 

When you work closely with someone who's been through a tough time, it's easy to imagine and feel their pain. 

Secondary traumatic stress kicks in when those feelings stick around, causing lasting emotional or psychological symptoms.

It's not just therapists who can feel this way. Anyone, regardless of their profession, can experience secondary trauma by absorbing someone else's traumatic experience. 

However, it's more common in jobs where people regularly assist others, especially in the helping professions.

Therapists, in particular, often find themselves in this situation. They're naturally empathetic, meaning they can understand and share in their clients' emotions and experiences. 

While this empathy is usually a great asset, it can become a problem if it leads to strong reactions to a client's traumatic experiences.

Secondary trauma is especially widespread among therapists who directly address trauma with their clients. 

Still, it's essential to remember that it can happen to any mental health professional. 

Trauma is quite common, and even if a client initially seeks therapy for a different reason, their traumatic experiences may come up during the process. 

Being aware of the potential for secondary trauma is key for maintaining your well-being in the helping professions.

Burnout vs secondary trauma

Let's talk about burnout and secondary trauma – they might sound similar, but they're a bit different.

Burnout happens when various work-related stressors pile up, making you feel drained and exhausted. It's like a slow build-up of stress from different parts of your job.

Now, secondary trauma is more specific. It's a direct response to the emotional toll of hearing about your clients' experiences. It's like feeling the weight of their stories on your shoulders.

If you don't deal with secondary traumatic stress, it can add up and contribute to an overall sense of burnout. So, it's crucial to recognize and address secondary trauma early on to prevent burnout from creeping in.

So burnout is like a mix of various work stresses, while secondary trauma is the emotional toll from hearing about your clients' experiences. 

Taking care of one helps prevent the other, highlighting the importance of addressing secondary trauma to avoid burnout.

Secondary traumatic stress vs. compassion fatigue

Secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue might share some symptoms, but they're not the same. They have a bit of an overlap in symptoms, but they're distinct conditions. 

Compassion fatigue is like a slow build-up over time. It happens when you're exposed to lots of tough situations for a long period. 

It's like the wear and tear on your emotional well-being from dealing with one challenging scenario after another.

On the other hand, secondary traumatic stress can hit you almost right away. It's not about the slow burn; it can result from experiencing a single traumatic event. 

It's like an immediate emotional response to a particularly tough situation.

So, while they might seem similar, it's crucial to recognize that compassion fatigue develops gradually, whereas secondary traumatic stress can set in quickly, often from a single intense experience. 

Understanding these differences helps you navigate and address each one effectively.

Burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue can significantly affect personal and professional lives.

Impact of Secondary Trauma on Healthcare Workers

When healthcare workers connect with survivors of tough situations, like traumatic incidents, they can be impacted too. It's a two-way street.

Now, this impact of secondary trauma on healthcare workers isn't just in one area. It can show up physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

Imagine it like a ripple effect – the experience doesn't just stay in one place.

And how healthcare workers react can be different for each person. Some might feel it physically, others mentally, and some might feel it deep in their emotions. 

It's like everyone has their unique way of experiencing the effects. Understanding these impacts helps healthcare providers navigate their own well-being while caring for others.

When healthcare workers deal with tough situations, they might feel a range of emotions. They could feel sad, angry, or anxious about what their patients have been through.

Internalised Symptoms

When healthcare workers deal with tough situations, they might feel a range of emotions. They could feel sad, angry, or anxious about what their patients have been through.

Emotional Symptoms:

• Healthcare workers may feel deep emotions like grief, anxiety, anger, or sadness when thinking about what their patients have been through.

• It can lead to irritability, distraction, low energy, and mood swings, making it challenging to balance personal and professional life.

• There's a risk of disconnecting from loved ones, withdrawing socially, and becoming more sensitive to violence and threats.

• Experiencing bystander guilt, shame, and self-doubt can be part of the emotional toll.

Behavioral Symptoms:

• Behavioral changes may include isolation, substance abuse, sleep disturbances, nightmares, and irregular eating patterns.

• Healthcare workers might numb themselves, detach from patients, and stay overly busy, avoiding listening to traumatic stories.

Physiological Symptoms:

• Physical symptoms like headaches, rashes, ulcers, and heartburn can appear due to the stress of absorbing patients' traumatic experiences.

Cognitive Symptoms:

• Secondary trauma can impact concentration, decision-making, and memory, affecting a healthcare worker's ability to perform effectively

Spiritual Symptoms:

• Healthcare workers may experience pessimism, cynicism, feelings of hopelessness, a loss of purpose, or a sense of unworthiness.

All these symptoms, whether emotional, behavioral, physiological, cognitive, or spiritual, have the potential to negatively influence the therapeutic relationship, personal life, and professional career of healthcare workers. 

Who is at more risk?

Certain jobs come with a higher risk of experiencing secondary trauma. Let's break it down:

Human services professionals and mental health clinicians are most at risk:

• Those who directly help people facing trauma every day are at the frontline of this challenge.

• This risk is especially common in therapists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals who regularly interact with individuals dealing with difficult experiences.

First responders, ER doctors, nurses, and palliative care workers:

Jobs that involve direct contact with physical pain and injuries can significantly affect mental health.

• Emergency room staff and those in palliative care often deal with intense situations that can take a toll on their emotional well-being.

Police officers, dispatchers, firefighters, and law enforcement:

• Professionals in law enforcement face a high risk due to the combative and emotional nature of their work.

• Exposure to distressing events, coupled with the stress of the job, can contribute to the development of secondary trauma.

Need for a Trauma-Informed Approach for Preventing Distress

Dealing with trauma is no small matter, and taking a trauma-informed approach is important for preventing distress among healthcare workers. Here's why:

• Without intervention, secondary trauma can have lasting impacts on physical and mental health.

• Keeping the struggles to oneself can put a healthcare worker's well-being at risk.

• The impact isn't just personal – it can affect how someone performs at work and the entire organisation.

• Untreated trauma can contribute to mental health issues and make it hard to connect with others.

• Unaddressed trauma may result in unexpected and challenging behaviors.

• The effects of trauma can influence decision-making, potentially impacting the care provided to patients.

• In severe situations, unmanaged trauma can contribute to serious outcomes like suicide or substance abuse.

Minimising the Effects of Secondary Trauma

By taking steps to prevent feeling overwhelmed and exhausted from helping others, healthcare workers can make their job more satisfying and improve their well-being. 

It's important to treat the stress from dealing with tough situations as a separate issue. 

When we handle the challenges linked to feeling too connected to our patients' difficult experiences, it not only helps prevent burnout but also makes our work environment better, and we feel happier about our jobs in healthcare. 

1. Understanding and Evaluating Risk Factors:

Some therapists are more at risk based on factors like a history of trauma, social isolation, lack of experience or training, constant exposure to trauma, and lack of supervision or support.

2. Recognizing Signs and Symptoms:

Keep an eye out for the gradual development of symptoms, including difficulty talking about emotions, being easily startled, trouble sleeping, dreaming about clients' trauma, and feeling trapped or hopeless.

3. Practicing Self-Care

Recognise if you're fixating on a client's trauma and establish clear work-life boundaries. Prioritize self-care for your physical health and overall well-being.

4. Seeking Peer Support and Supervision:

Get support from trusted colleagues or local peer groups. Regular supervision, professional training, and maintaining connections with others in your field are essential.

5. Continuous Educational Opportunities:

Keep learning about client issues to address anxiety. Ongoing education is valuable to reduce vulnerability and enhance preparedness.

6. Collaboration and Supportive Workplace Culture:

Build a supportive workplace culture with the help of supervisors and colleagues. Collaborate to set boundaries and cope with trauma.

7. Psychoeducation and Informed Leadership:

Healthcare providers need Psychoeducation interventions, and managers should understand and prioritise the impact of trauma as a distinct issue.

8. Ongoing Awareness Training:

Organisations should provide education on secondary traumatic stress. Encourage discussions to enhance understanding and set boundaries, and individual awareness training aids in recognising warning signs.

9. Surveys and Self-Reporting Systems:

Encourage individuals to self-report trauma risks. Assessments are crucial for monitoring trauma risks, and peer support, psychotherapy, and professional interventions are vital.

10. Workplace Self-Care and Caseload Management:

Create a genuine culture of self-care in the workplace. Active workload management is crucial, offering support and sufficient time for quality patient care. Flexible work schedules aid in stress recovery.

11. Professional Connection, Supervision, and Coping Strategies:

Maintain professional connections, seek supervision, and join support groups to minimize the effects. Supportive supervisors help set boundaries. Coping strategies include spiritual connection, time with family and friends, and seeking professional help.

12. Overall Emphasis on Self-Care and Well-Being:

Recognize that secondary trauma is a significant challenge. Its effects can extend to personal life and work. Prioritize mental health and take action to reduce the risk of secondary trauma.

Final Word 

Acknowledging secondary trauma as a serious issue is the first step in safeguarding individuals and healthcare organizations. 

Seeking professional help to manage its impact is important. 

Additionally, healthcare organizations can promote awareness and recovery through a trauma-informed culture. 

Preventive measures, like actively listening and watching for signs of secondary trauma, are vital to prevent silent suffering. 

Allia's user-friendly software offers therapists tools and resources for coping strategies, fostering a culture of self-care in the social work profession.