No description available.

The purpose of the study was to gain insight into how psychologists experience resiliency, satisfaction, and personal growth despite the challenges (e.g., vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue) of working with trauma survivors. While it cannot be ignored that many psychologists experience negative effects related to working with traumatized clients, it is important to acknowledge the potential to experience resiliency and growth from their work with trauma survivors. Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore the lived experiences of vicarious resiliency and growth in psychologists who work with trauma survivors. Data was collected through an in-depth individual semi-structured interview with six psychologists. The data generated was transcribed and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003). Results revealed four major themes: privileging a shared journey, developing purpose and personal growth, deriving positive meaning, and serving humanity with an overarching theme of maintaining resiliency. The current study provided a valuable contribution to the limited literature on psychologists’ ability to foster positive outcomes for themselves through focusing on resiliency, satisfaction, and growth, despite the inherent risks of trauma work. Applications to practice and suggestions for future research are discussed.

South African society has been a ected either directly or indirectly by some degree of trauma. Therefore the presence of a trauma unit within a hospital created the ideal opportunity for novice trauma counsellors to have practical experience. The present research is an exploratory study, designed in accordance with ethno- graphic principles in order to understand the psychological e ects of trauma on novice trauma counsellors. It focuses on themes that reverberate throughout the participants narratives. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue are two such e ects that were explored in this study. Research into compassion fatigue and vi- carious trauma span over several decades and researchers have moved from merely describing the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress to explaining it in terms of models that highlight the role of various factors that contribute vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue. This study concludes with recommendations to counter the e ects of experiencing secondary trauma. / (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))

Social workers in child protective services often handle hundreds of cases regarding children traumatized by abuse and/or neglect. In time, social workers' experiences can become emotionally and psychologically challenging. A problem for supervising child protection social workers (SCPSWs) is that they might experience the same challenges; however, there was no research that described the lived experiences of SCPSWs. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of SCPSWs. Conceptually, constructivist self-development theory (CSDT) provided the framework for understanding how SCPSWs managed their lived experiences and the issues related to them. Ten SCPSWs volunteered their time for face-to-face interviews and provided data for this study. Saldana's coding manual was used to guide the identification and coding of key words and phrases. SCPSWs experienced occupational trauma in the form of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and/or burnout similar to that experienced by front line workers. SCPSWs' experiences required them to set boundaries, stop taking work home and support each other in the workplace. Enhanced resources for training on self-care plus increased administrative and peer support could potentially improve the lives of these SCPSWs and increase their longevity and effectiveness in the workplace. Retaining experienced supervisors also has the potential to promote positive social change by improving the support supervisors can provide to front line staff, thus indirectly helping children, families, and communities they serve.

Most youth receiving care in residential treatment centers (RTCs) have experienced significant childhood trauma and require intensive mental health treatment to recover from their traumatic childhood experiences. Staff turnover is one factor that can negatively affect outcomes for these children and adolescents. Understanding factors that predict the turnover of professional counselors providing counseling to youth in RTCs can help counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators address barriers to staff retention. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between the turnover of professional counselors providing counseling to youth in RTCs and their perception of the work environment, burnout, vicarious trauma, and self-care. The theoretical framework for this study was constructivist self-development theory, which described the impact of working with traumatized youth in RTCs. Professional counselors working in RTCs for youth across the United States received an online survey to measure the study variables and obtain data for the study. Results of the multiple regression data analysis indicated that the combination of perception of work environment, burnout, vicarious trauma, and self-care predicted counselor turnover. Independently, perception of work environment, burnout, and self-care also predicted turnover. This information may help to increase counselor retention in residential treatment centers and improve outcomes for the vulnerable youth receiving care in those settings. This research will contribute to positive social change by improving the quality of life for this marginalized population of youth and decreasing the long-term social and financial burden placed on the community at large.

Vicarious trauma can impact anyone working with a traumatized person. The constructivist self-development theory asserts that vicarious trauma can negatively distort how the helper thinks about the world and can cause increased stress. Researchers have explored stress and coping models and have studied how increased stress can negatively impact coping and health behaviors. However, researchers have not explored how vicarious trauma, coping, and health behaviors are related. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships among vicarious trauma, health behaviors (healthy eating, physical activity, cigarette smoking, and risky drinking), and maladaptive coping. The study sample consisted of 102 Texas Children's Advocacy Center (TX CAC) and Texas Child Protective Services (TX CPS) employees with direct exposure to a client's trauma. Participants completed a self-administered online survey designed to measure vicarious trauma, health behaviors, and maladaptive coping. Linear and logistic regression analyses indicated vicarious trauma was significantly related to healthy eating and maladaptive coping. Maladaptive coping was significantly related to physical activity. However, maladaptive coping was not a significant mediating factor in the relationship between vicarious trauma and health behavior. The data indicated TX CPS and TX CAC employees continue to experience cognitive distortions associated with vicarious trauma, have some decreased health behaviors, and are using maladaptive coping strategies. Results of the study may be used to reduce the risk of vicarious trauma to TX CAC and TX CPS employees so they can continue to help children and families heal from trauma.

Purposes/Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the professional, workplace and personal factors that significantly relate to advanced practice nurses' (APNs) self-efficacy to treat intimate partner violence (IPV).Rationale/Conceptual Basis/Background: IPV affects one in three women in the U.S. and is the leading cause of maternal death during the prenatal and first year post-partum periods. Older women victims suffer earlier death from all causes. IPV is under diagnosed and undertreated based on large surveys of emergency departments and outpatient clinics. APNs are providing health care to large numbers of potential victims, thus they are important as diagnosticians and treating clinicians. Methods: A national quantitative survey of APNs was performed with the aim of obtaining APNs from diverse specialties, geographic areas, and demographics within the U.S. Participants completed an electronic survey using modifications of standardized questionnaires on professional factors of hours of previous IPV education, IPV knowledge, years in practice, current practices, role belief, and self-efficacy to treat IPV. A new scale was developed to test workplace factors of screening tools and protocols, institutional, and community supports. Personal factors of age, gender, past IPV experience, vicarious trauma (VT), resilience, and general self-efficacy were tested using previously validated tools. Results: A sample of 494 APNs was obtained. Respondents were demographically representative of U.S. practicing APN population. Findings from this study indicate that APNs' current self-reported practice behaviors regarding IPV, total hours of IPV education, age in years, role belief, resilience, absence of VT and IPV knowledge are the most significant contributors to APNs' self-efficacy to treat IPV. Implications: APNs with strong clinical experience with IPV, more hours of IPV education, older age, belief that it is their role to treat IPV, and greater IPV knowledge, reported the best self-efficacy to treat IPV. Educational institutions should provide more formal and ongoing education in IPV. VT in APNs who treat IPV should be further explored. Health care organizations should provide continuing IPV education and provide work environments that promote the treatment of IPV for APNs to effectively identify and engage in treatment those patients who may be victims.

Purpose: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acknowledged repeated or extreme indirect exposure to aversive details of traumatic event(s) in the course of professional duties, can lead to symptoms of PTSD. This has led to discussions around impact and prevalence of vicarious trauma in psychological therapists treating trauma clients. This study considers how therapists delivering trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) make sense of their experiences and protect themselves from any negative effects of the work. Furthermore, it considers if there is a distinction in therapist experience between the two modalities. Methodology/Method: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was conducted to explore how trauma-focused CBT and EMDR therapists engaged in trauma work, interpreted and made sense of their experiences; with a view to identifying any protective practice that informed clinical practice and helped ameliorate vicarious trauma. Recorded, semi-structured interviews were conducted with CBT and EMDR therapists (N=11). Before analysis, interviews were transcribed verbatim and sent to individual participants for validation of their authenticity. Data was analysed using descriptive, linguistic and conceptual comments to identify an initial seventy nine emergent themes. When refined, four master themes of ‘Nature of Trauma’, ‘Participant sense of self and managing the process of hearing trauma narrative’, ‘Participant experience of delivering the trauma models’ and ‘Protecting and sustaining the participant sense of self’ were identified to answer the research question and are discussed herein. Findings: This study forms part of the growing body of evidence towards understanding therapist vicarious traumatisation. It both supports and challenges findings of previous studies. It also introduces new concepts in relation to the vicarious trauma phenomenon. Whilst there are clear limitations associated with making generalisations from an IPA study, the findings from the study suggest EMDR may be a protective factor against the negative effects of hearing repeated trauma narrative. Furthermore, certain strategies such as time management, comprehensive trauma training and specific trauma supervision, may also reduce the negative effects of hearing trauma narrative. Finally, regardless of the difficulties faced, therapists enjoy their trauma work and feel a great sense of professional satisfaction. Implications/Recommendations: Indications from the findings of the study are that therapists working within primary care in particular, are becoming increasingly pressurised by cuts to funding within mental health services. Recommendations are that those components of trauma work which promote therapist wellbeing should be supported. In particular, realistic timeframes within which to work, good quality training and supervisors, ideally external to the workplace, who can provide trauma-specific supervision.

South African society has been a ected either directly or indirectly by some degree of trauma. Therefore the presence of a trauma unit within a hospital created the ideal opportunity for novice trauma counsellors to have practical experience. The present research is an exploratory study, designed in accordance with ethno- graphic principles in order to understand the psychological e ects of trauma on novice trauma counsellors. It focuses on themes that reverberate throughout the participants narratives. Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue are two such e ects that were explored in this study. Research into compassion fatigue and vi- carious trauma span over several decades and researchers have moved from merely describing the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress to explaining it in terms of models that highlight the role of various factors that contribute vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue. This study concludes with recommendations to counter the e ects of experiencing secondary trauma. / (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))

Vicarious traumatization (VT) describes the gradual, transformative shifts in internal experience that occur as a result of cumulative exposure to clients’ trauma material. VT is thought to develop in the therapist due to empathic engagement with clients, resulting in profound disruptions in frame of reference. Because VT is conceptualized as a condition that develops due to frequent exposure to clients’ traumatic material, a rapidly emerging body of theoretical literature suggests that clinicians can safeguard against VT by maintaining a more balanced workload (i.e., a caseload of clients with a variety of presenting problems) and limiting the number of trauma cases. However, the quantitative research base on VT is limited and has been plagued by several methodological shortcomings, most notably the lack of comparison groups of non-trauma clinicians. As such, a primary aim of the present study was to characterize the prevalence and severity of VT among one group of clinicians treating predominantly traumatized populations, and one group providing treatment for a wider variety of presenting issues. Further, a secondary aim of this project was to identify both therapist-level and occupational-level contributors to VT. In our cross-sectional, online survey study of 114 generalist mental health providers (Mage = 33.36, 75.4% female, 88.6% Caucasian) and 107 trauma clinicians (Mage = 42.66, 81.3% female, 86.9% Caucasian) recruited from various professional organizations, levels of VT were low and not significantly different between the two provider groups. Risk factors for VT included fewer years of experience, having a greater personal history of trauma, and a personal distress empathy style. Protective factors included a perspective-taking empathy style, problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles, and high-quality supervision. When the VT construct was examined alongside similar (but conceptually different) occupational stress constructs of secondary traumatic stress and burnout, there was a high degree of overlap, indicating that VT may not be a distinct phenomenon or unique to working with trauma clients. Results suggest that claims about the deleterious effects of trauma therapy are likely overstated, thereby refuting the original conceptualization of VT. Future research directions and implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.