Career Chat // Vicarious trauma // Friday 22 July, 10am AEST

[Renstar]

 The big question in regards to secondary trauma then becomes how do we avoid developing it?

 Vicarious trauma is the most serious types of secondary trauma as it involves a complete change in one's outlook on life and can lead to some fairly serious depression and anxiety.

And there are a number of factors that contribute to the risk of developing this  and other types of secondary trauma ...

The absence of self care is really a strong determinant ,,, so too is a lower level of experience in working with clients who have experienced trauma that was found to increase stress and vulnerability.

 Also caseload intensity and the absence of social support and supervision  which leads us back to people who are in the helping professions and who do have training tend to be aware of maintaining their boundaries and upholding ethical standards and of course ensuring they have adequate resources ... 

 It can be shown that even professionals are exposed if they don't utilise all the proper resources.

 However for those of us not in a position to have access to pre arranged support such as a volunteer for example there are ways that you can alleviate symptoms and manage the risk of developing secondary trauma (including vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout) ...

 So as an organisation it's important to make sure that there are larger structures in place for volunteers,  for example; make sure to build awareness about secondary trauma,  also offer education that informs people for how to manage and reduce the risk of secondary trauma. Such as this forum  !

When it comes to you as an individual you need to make sure that you accept you might be in a situation where you are exposed to secondary trauma

According to the research you should then try to develop a high level of emotional awareness, that is ensure you're able to draw on strategies to handle your emotions ...  This might include journaling, talking to a professional or a supportive helper and also maintain regular activities that decrease the cortisol in your body,  such as walking or swimming or actually anything that involves the movement of your body, even deep breathing and relaxation .

  Positive results were seen in a study which showed a decline in compassion fatigue amongst nurses when an intervention program was used  ...

 This program included; group workshops, person centred therapy, experiential learning and education about secondary trauma.

The program also included fostering resilience amongst the nurses through the development of self care, emotional awareness, emotional management and problem-solving capability. It was delivered in small groups ...  

In organisations where there is a risk of compassion fatigue such small groups and such interventions foster support and re-iterate the idea that there is nothing to be ashamed off with secondary trauma ...

 One of the things that I note to come out of that study is the importance of emotional intelligence and resilience, we might have that as a topic for a future forum but I would also like to expand on it in the next post 

Has  any of what has been shared today raised a flag for you? does any of this resonate or do you know of anybody who might benefit from this information ?

 If so ... Hope you're doing well today !! 

[Renstar]

Thank you so much @utopia for sharing  I will bet that many of the forum readers have felt the same way at one time or another.

 The action that you took to pull away was excellent and you obviously have a level of self-awareness that was able to quickly indicate to you 'hey you better stop this it's starting to bring your mood down ... '

 Now that you have recognised it you can go back to reading and  continue to be a part of the forums but from the point of view of;  some of the stuff I read does trigger me and I should probably look at the things that are bringing me down ...

 I really liked the list of questions and the suggestions which @JM-Addiction  made have a look at those from a couple of posts ago.

  Following this you can put things into place ... go for a brisk walk or do some other type of exercise, talk to someone else about your own triggers and previous experiences, don't ignore what you feel rather use it to learn more about yourself (develop your EQ).

 In the past I have run workshops regarding vicarious trauma and some of the measures I asked the participants to put into place including journaling  and using a technique that I call 'listening for resilience.'

 It was found that photographers experiencing serious post traumatic stress disorder as a result of vicarious trauma were able to better handle the situation when they could talk to the trauma victim and not just listen for trauma but also listen for resilience  ...

 In other words they would focus mainly on how these amazing trauma victims whom they have just photographed were making and creating sustainable lives for  themselves in spite of their hardship.  They took away from these interactions a sense of renewed strength in humankind ... the research called it vicarious resilience!!

 So with my participants I would ask them to listen to their client stories and draw out the client's coping strategies whether to reflect back to the client or simply to create a more mentally healthy focus for themselves and the result has been ...  fantastic ...😊

 I have seen first hand that vicarious resilience works in fact as mentioned before all development of resilience is ideal  for those dealing with other people's trauma.

• we can also develop resilience by focusing on our own strengths that is developing our own EQ
• also by talking about a previous trauma with a counsellor and creating a story of strength rather than a story of loss ..

we can use all forms of resilience development!!

[Renstar]

Thank you so much to today's contributors @CherryBomb @JM-Addiction @utopia And @NikNik

It has been our intention to inform but not alarm you about secondary trauma ...

You may be experiencing it an not realise it, please look over the posts that list symptoms ...

Recognise It may have develop over a period of time or equally you may experience it suddenly

... there is no cause for alarm!

Either way it is considered something that can be stopped in its tracks if you put the right measures into place!

The measures include self-care, developing your vicarious resilience (that is listening to clients and focusing on their resilience), also developing your EQ through asking yourself or with the help of a professional, a series of questions to help you get to know yourself better and deal more deeply with your own triggers.

There are so many ways to release the cortisol in your system that's building up as a result of feeling anxious from time to time ... Try walking, running, swimming, etc... relaxing with friends, letting it all out with a good movie and a good cry, having a really big belly laugh, doing Pilates, Yoga or deep relaxation also never forget the proven benefits of meditation for mental health.

Including the practice of mindfulness, which we have discussed in previous forums and of course using your toolbox for managing anxiety, which we have also covered in previous forums. Go to them now and have a look!

Also remember that despite all attempts, feeling down sometimes is a normal part of being in the helping profession and you are amongst an enormous group of people who feel the same way - there is absolutely no shame and no stigma should ever be attached around it.

And if your company or organisation is not doing something about it, then they should at least read the posts on the forum and learn a little bit about why it is so important!!

Thanks again, I wish you all a great weekend and I hope to hear from you soon on CareerChat.
Feel free to leave comments and questions 😊😊

[JM-Addiction]

• How does this problem typically make you feel?

• What do you think may make the problem better?

• Do you have an idea about why this keeps happening?

• What would you like to see different about your current situation?”

• Focus on how you react and respond in certain situations

• Your Thoughts are only thoughts. Don’t believe everything you Think.

W-WHAT IS IT YOU REALLY WANT?

D -DOING, WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY DOING?

E -EVALUATE, IS WHAT YOUR DOING, GETTING YOU WHAT YOUR WANT?

P-PLAN

[WombatBoots]

@JM-Addiction and @Renstar

I thank you so much for so many words of wisdom. So much to take in and contemplate.

A very wise person once said to me "I know you are a very caring person, but if you are unwell you are no good to anyone, especially yourself" ... I took it onboard but at the time I was thinking to myself how can caring for others be bad for me. 

I'm a 40ish yo wombat, I had my first "official" diagnosis at the age of 32, however looking back my MI has been with me as long as I can remember. 

In retrospect

In my 20ies, I was always the guy that my friends came to (m and f) because I was he rock, the guy who had good advice and cared.

At 32 I experienced a very traumatic event, my MI went from being something that was with me to something that was impacting me daily.

From 32 to 40, I battled daily with my MI, work, doctors, medication, the birth of 2 children (yes men can get pnd as well),  I was convinced 3 times that I was dying from dr google's diagnosis (ie mine), I think you all get the picture. The whole time I presented myself "well" I held down full time (sucessful jobs) and I still had those around me "leannig" on me. And me thinking that I was the strong wombat did my best to keep up that smoke screen. 

When i was 38, my family, myself, friends, community and others were confronted with an event that was extreme. Me thinking that I was super wombat went into super protection mode for all those that I love "I was even feeling guilty that I wasn't doing enough" ... I think you all know where this leads ... 3 weeks later I was in my local MHU because ..... I FORGOT ABOUT ME ... I still didn't accept it at the time though. Going through my head was "how can caring for the people that I love make me like this" 

Two things happened to me during my 4 week stay, I realised there were so many people like me, I realised I wasn't alone in my journey. The other was expressed to me by my mom who came to visit 

[WombatBoots]

ohh ... I don't know what happened, but interwebs have just lost the last 45 mins of my story 😞

I will do my best to finish tomorrow

Matt