Professionals
Professional Wellbeing
It is interesting that during a counsellor’s training, significant importance is placed on supervision to support the impact of working with trauma, yet for other professionals working with traumatised people, there has been little weight placed in supporting staff who are exposed to trauma which is defined as indirect trauma exposure.
Fortunately, there is a gradual change within many professional bodies who are now recognising the value of wellbeing supervision which is now being more widely offered. You may be a teacher, a police officer, a nurse, or a football coach – the list is endless. This page is to support your understanding of the potential impact of working with traumatised people.
“The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet”.
—Naomi Rachel Remen (2001)
Definitions
Empathy:
Empathy is an ability to sense another person’s emotions, to feel them as if they are your own, “when you feel physically along with the other person, as though their emotions were contagious” (Daniel Goleman, 1996).
Neurons mirror feelings and physical sensations meaning that you as the professional may mirror the experience of the traumatised person. As professionals and experiencing interpersonal relationships with a traumatised person, as compassionate human beings, we tend to want to rescue and help.
The danger of being immersed and exposed in another person’s trauma experience is to then be impacted with similar trauma symptomologies.
Secondary Exposure to Trauma:
Vicarious Trauma (VT):
Secondary Trauma Stress (STS):
STS is experienced as PTSD symptomologies as described within the ‘What Is Trauma page’. This is when you have been exposed to the trauma however not directly.
Vicarious Grief (VG):
Burnout:
Defined in ICD-11 (International Classification of Diseases) as:
Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is classed as a workplace phenomenon and not a medical condition. It is characterised by three dimensions:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.
- Reduced professional efficacy.
Health and Safety Executive 2020 data:
Work-related stress, anxiety and depression increased in recent years. Industries with higher-than-average rates include education, human health, and social work activities.
Psychological Distress
You are given information from the trauma stories which afford you with a ‘knowing’ that you are then unable to ‘unknow’.
As human beings, we are empathic and compassionate, however when professionals are overly exposed to traumatised people without effective support, this can lead to psychological distress. You need to be alert to the signs in yourself and your co-workers.
Symptoms
EMOTIONAL
PHYSICAL
COGNITIVE
BEHAVIOURAL
PROFESSIONAL
This video is directed towards educators, but it is helpful to all professionals to help you understand the impact of being exposed to other people’s trauma.
Without noticing or attending to the impact of secondary trauma can in turn lead to you gradually feeling physically and mentally exhausted, feeling that you have nothing left to give.
Supervision
Supervision is essential in workplace settings when professionals are working with people who have been traumatised. This is also true for professionals who are working with colleagues who have also experienced trauma. Supervision allows for debriefing, understanding the impact, and looking at ways to reduce trauma impact in the future.
“ Supervision is recommended to anyone working in roles that require regularly giving or receiving emotionally challenging communications or engaging in relationally complex and challenging roles. ”
Trauma-informed supervision is incorporated within clinical supervision or wellbeing supervision although the supervisor needs to be adequately trained and qualified. Being reflective within supervision normalises secondary trauma as a systemic issue and not the pathology of the individual.
Supervision reinforces the need for professionals to access self-care, to acknowledge their experience, which will diminish the impact of the secondary trauma to which they have been exposed.
Supervision can be sourced face to face or online. You can contact local counselling agencies who will have a team of supervisors, or on the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapy website, a directory of supervisors and counsellors.
Workplace Wellbeing:
What is it you can do to prevent VT, STS and Burnout?
Self-help
Supervision
Support from family and friends
Self-compassion - take care of yourself
Take time to relax!
Exercise
Boundary your work
Interesting Data:
- 21% of police officers who responded reported symptoms consistent with PTSD or the more severe Complex PTSD (CPTSD);
- 73% of those with PTSD or CPTSD will be unaware that they have it;
- 66% of those reported a psychological or mental health issue which they felt was a direct result of police work;
- 69% of officers feel that trauma is not well managed in their force;
- 93% still go to work even when suffering from a work-related psychological issue.
Social work job-related stress was common among current practitioners (85%), though children’s practitioners were more severely affected, with 33% reporting being very stressed and 55% fairly stressed, compared with 28% and 54% respectively for adult practitioners.