Vicarious Trauma and Self-Care: Help for the Helper

Vicarious traumatization, also known as secondary trauma, is a threat to anyone employed in the helping relationship, healthcare, law enforcement, or educational institutions. Even when the most well-trained professional hears of a trauma survivor’s story, the effects could potentially be harmful if left unchecked. Vicarious traumatization refers to a person’s direct exposure to a trauma survivor’s story, and then experiencing their own trauma-like responses despite not having been directly exposed to the traumatic event itself. Audience members will walk away from this training with a knowledge of vicarious trauma, typical emotional and behavioral responses, ways to self-monitor wellbeing, and vital self-care practices.