Episode Details

Welcome back to Therapy Chat! Continuing the theme of tending to our own needs, 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.

 

Host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a past episode in which she speaks about Secondary Traumatic Stress and Vicarious Trauma after attending a workshop on this topic by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky, the author of Trauma Stewardship. This week is Part 1 and next week, in part 2, we will hear from Laura van Dernoot Lipsky herself!

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  • Feeling withdrawn and isolated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?
• • Practice mindfulness
  • 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:

ACA Fact Sheet on Vicarious Trauma

Trauma Stewardship by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

Trauma Stewardship Institute

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky's newest book, The Age of Overwhelm

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