Social Work News - Spring 2021

Page 24

24

UNDERSTAN VICARIOUS T Vicarious Trauma accumulates over time,” explains Dr Gregory Warwick, Chartered Counselling Psychologist.

colleagues interacting using a healthy dose of black humour. These are things we just can’t do with our own families in lockdown.

“It’s a process of change that takes place as the result of repeated exposure to trauma, and something we see a lot in professions such as police, fire brigade, and of course social work.”

“This lack of communication can leave people vulnerable to the kind of emotional residue which can lead to Vicarious Trauma, Secondary Trauma, and Compassion Fatigue.”

How can it happen?

Breaking down trauma

“THE PANDEMIC HAS BROUGHT

“There are three kinds of trauma disorder that are often confused. Vicarious Trauma comes as a result of empathetic engagement over a long period of time, and can lead to lingering feelings of anger, sadness, guilt, and hopelessness.

ABOUT A LOT OF DISCONNECT,” EXPLAINS DR GREGORY, OF QUEST PSYCHOLOGY IN MANCHESTER. “In high pressure industries, being able to vent and debrief is an essential part of processing the things you’ve seen and heard, ensuring you can switch off from them at the end of the day. “With a job as serious as social work, we would also expect to see

“While Vicarious Trauma accumulates, Secondary Trauma can come on suddenly, usually causing a PTSD response. Even though the sufferer hasn’t personally experienced the trauma, the result can be vivid, with flashbacks and nightmares.


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