Medical Social Workers are placed in fast pace environments with little time to process their feelings after being exposed to their client’s traumatic stories. The study assessed the implications of vicarious trauma on medical social workers and its impact on client outcomes. The current study utilizes a sample of 20 medical social workers employed in hospital settings across San Bernardino County. Social Work personnel were asked to take The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, which measurements are most congruent to the DSM-5 criteria of Secondary Traumatic Stress. To assess the relationship between Secondary Trauma and demographic characteristics of the social worker, an ANOVA and Post-Hoc test were conducted on SPSS to analyze data. This study will assist social workers in recognizing implications to their vicarious trauma and seek intervention before it manifests into their patient relationship. Policies that require social workers to be evaluated for vicarious traumatization would be advantageous and decrease turnover rates among medical social work.

The main goal of this research project was to explore the question “What is the crisis responder’s experience with youth suicide?” The primary researcher was a crisis responder who, over the course of seven years, worked in the field of crisis intervention and encountered situations involving youth suicidality. Research has shown that exposure to youth suicide can produce dramatic effects upon the perceptions and meaning of work for crisis responders. A self-case study approach based upon heuristic concepts and processes was utilized for the present study because a first-person account enabled the uncovering of phases of effects of exposure to suicidality, including immersion, incubation, and illumination. These phases were applied to clarify the nature of the lived experience of a crisis responder working in Manitoba, Canada on a mobile crisis team. Insight into the phenomenon was gained by synthesizing the personal experiences of being a crisis responder, and contextualizing it within the theoretical and empirical literature on exposure to suicidality. Based on current findings, directions for future research and implications for the professional development of crisis responder practitioners experiencing youth suicide were provided. The ramifications of long term service within this area were also explored.

The main goal of this research project was to explore the question “What is the crisis responder’s experience with youth suicide?” The primary researcher was a crisis responder who, over the course of seven years, worked in the field of crisis intervention and encountered situations involving youth suicidality. Research has shown that exposure to youth suicide can produce dramatic effects upon the perceptions and meaning of work for crisis responders. A self-case study approach based upon heuristic concepts and processes was utilized for the present study because a first-person account enabled the uncovering of phases of effects of exposure to suicidality, including immersion, incubation, and illumination. These phases were applied to clarify the nature of the lived experience of a crisis responder working in Manitoba, Canada on a mobile crisis team. Insight into the phenomenon was gained by synthesizing the personal experiences of being a crisis responder, and contextualizing it within the theoretical and empirical literature on exposure to suicidality. Based on current findings, directions for future research and implications for the professional development of crisis responder practitioners experiencing youth suicide were provided. The ramifications of long term service within this area were also explored.

For some people, exposure to trauma results in the development of psychological maladjustment in the form of posttraumatic stress disorder. Veterans returning from combat zones tend to meet criteria for PTSD at rates significantly higher than what is observed in the general population. Mental health professionals, particularly those working with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, play an important role in the recovery of these Veterans. Research suggests that facilitating trauma therapy and/or being exposed second-hand to traumatic material can have negative consequences for the therapist. The current study focuses on the impact of trauma therapy on therapists who work with combat veterans through the VA. The study includes seven psychologists in the state of Iowa employed by VA. Findings support previous research by highlighting the impact therapy has on the clinician providing it. The impact of facilitating trauma therapy or working with traumatized populations is not wholly positive or negative, but often both. The current study suggests that what clinicians do in response to hearing trauma narratives that is of key importance.

Social workers are being sought out more often to treat traumatized individuals. In turn, social workers are at risk of vicarious traumatization. Vicarious trauma is a form of indirect trauma that may occur by working with traumatized clients. Master of Social Work (MSW) students should be educated on vicarious trauma as they will have many responsibilities when they begin their work in the field; including treating traumatized individuals. Education on vicarious trauma could lessen the risks of experiencing the pathology. The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of vicarious trauma among MSW students. Sixty-seven students from the MSW program at California State University, San Bernardino participated in this study and completed the Vicarious Trauma Questionnaire (VTQ). The study showed that on average the students scored moderate to low on each category of the questionnaire. Suggestions for future research and the social work curriculum are discussed in this project.

Vicarious trauma impacts counselors in various ways: by diminishing their feelings of importance in the profession, hindering their completion of adequate work with clients, and negatively affecting their personal life choices. Although numerous qualitative and quantitative studies have been conducted on vicarious trauma over the past 20 years, there is a rarity of research investigating the implications of trauma for counseling supervisors. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of tertiary trauma among 11 counselor supervisors from Oklahoma and Missouri who were providing active supervision. This study was approached through a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. The overarching research question investigated how counseling supervisors defined tertiary trauma. Interviews were transcribed and uploaded into NVivo 10, and constructs were identified via an exploratory and inductive analysis. Codes and sub-themes were categorized then deductively divided into 6 primary themes that demonstrate participant perceptions of tertiary trauma. These themes included: (a) what it means to be a supervisor, (b) the understanding of vicarious trauma, (c) the base knowledge of tertiary trauma, (d) the symptoms of tertiary trauma, (e) the meaning of supervisor wellness, and (c), the and role of the supervisor. Findings from the study offer the counseling profession a working definition of tertiary trauma based in counseling supervisors' perception of the phenomenon. The study outcomes are unique because counseling supervisors are vital to the continued growth of both the profession and new counseling professionals, acting as gate keepers to the counseling profession.

Vicarious trauma poses a risk factor for clinicians. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study is to examine the individual and organizational resources used by counselors who have self-reported vicarious trauma and have continue practicing their profession effectively. Two theories that comprised the framework of this study were: the social cognitive theory and the constructivist self-development theory. The sample consisted of 10 counselors who self-reported vicarious trauma. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations, and then were analyzed using thematic analysis. NVivo software was utilized to come up with distinct similarities in each of the participants. These similarities were then further analyzed to reveal concrete coping strategies that helping professionals can utilize to prevent the effects of vicarious trauma. The top coping skills were discovered to be as follows: effective transition time, spiritual practices, psychological preparedness, wellness, and self-control. Furthermore, organizational skills were also examined to see the effects the organization had on vicarious trauma. The leading organizational coping skills that were acknowledged were: co-workers and supervisor involvement, self-care evenings, weekly wellness meetings, and consultation groups. This study will provide positive social change implications by enabling present and future mental health professionals to gain insight into the coping strategies used to manage vicarious trauma successfully.

Multiple research studies have suggested that African American parents transmit a variety of socialization messages, including preparation for bias and egalitarianism (Hughes et al., 2006; White-Johnson et al., 2010). In response to specific race-related events, such as police involved shooting deaths of African Americans since 2012, scholars have begun to expand racial socialization research to explore the influence of racial events on African American parenting. However, there is little research that examines the impact of repeated witnessing of vicarious instances of police brutality, shootings, and killings of African Americans at the hands of law enforcement on parent racial socialization practices. The goals of the current study were to explore racial socialization practices of African American parents within the context of current events about police brutality and shootings of African Americans by police. Qualitative analysis of interviews with sixteen African American parents provided insight into relationships between parents’ experiences with and beliefs about police, socialization practices, and demonstrations of vicarious trauma symptoms. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze the data using: a) open-coding; b) axial coding; and c) selective coding (Corbin & Strauss, 2015). Results of the analysis revealed four categories at the axial level comprised of 17 subcategories at the open-coding level. Conclusions drawn from the grounded theory model that was derived in this study suggest that all parents who were studied socialized their children about race and police involved killings of African Americans based on their own experiences with and beliefs about police. Parents were collapsed into categories reflecting their experiences: a) parents who have had negative experiences with police but keep their children engaged in positive behaviors to eliminate police encounters; b) parents who have had positive experiences with police and do not want their young children to have negative biases toward members of law enforcement; c) parents who are fearful and mistrustful of police, despite having mixed personal experiences with them, and want their children to be prepared for possible encounters with police; d) parents who have had mixed personal experiences with police but want their children to have a balanced perspective of officers; and e) parents who have had positive personal experiences with police, keep their children engaged in positive behaviors to eliminate police encounters, and want their children to be prepared to successfully navigate possible encounters with police. These conclusions have implications for African American parents, mental health practitioners, members of law enforcement, and federal and state legislators.

Social workers are susceptible to the potential negative impacts of vicarious trauma. Perspectives of trauma social workers on the responsiveness of rural social work agencies to vicarious trauma have not been explored even though the trauma-informed care model has been available since 2006 and outlines best practice in all settings of trauma social work. Considering the risk factors and negative effects vicarious trauma has on social workers, an increased understanding of the perspectives of social workers on how rural social work agencies are responding to vicarious trauma was needed. The purpose of this study was to explore this response through consideration of the trauma-informed care principles of safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment. The guiding research question was, what are the perspectives of social workers on the response of rural social work agencies on vicarious trauma and self-care. For this narrative study, storytelling was used as a way to understand and answer the research question. Data were collected using purposeful sampling from 10 trauma social workers through face-to-face interviews and analyzed using a coding and theming process. Organizational culture was identified as a suppressive force that has the potential to be a source of support to therapists. The findings support the need for change in organizational practice standards and furthers knowledge about the potential effects of vicarious trauma on clients, agencies, and therapists and how to mitigate those effects. The awareness this study provided to organizational leaders and policy makers has the potential to be the catalyst for positive practice and policy change.

Professionals who work with victims of sexual trauma frequently experience emotional and psychological stressors that affect their everyday life. Vicarious traumatization is an occupational risk among helping professionals, but it is not known how this phenomenon can be identified and minimized among professionals who work with victims of sexual trauma. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore the personal experiences of licensed and nonlicensed professionals who work with female victims of sexual trauma. Constructivist self-development theory and the traumagenic dynamics model provided the framework for the study. The research questions focused on the evidence of vicarious trauma among participants, the skills and techniques used to minimize the risk of vicarious trauma, and the influence of vicarious traumatization on helping professionals. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 8 helping professionals in the Southern United States. Findings from data coding and theme analysis indicated that (a) professionals experience psychological and emotional risks in trauma work, (b) establishing boundaries and implementing self-care techniques can minimize vicarious trauma, and (c) consistent training and ongoing discussions about vicarious trauma are essential to professionals who commit their lives to helping sexual trauma victims. Findings may be used to increase awareness and education about vicarious trauma among professionals who work with victims of sexual trauma, and to develop techniques to minimize the risk of vicarious trauma.