The Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center will present an online Expert Q&A discussion with Barbara Rubel on "Addressing Vicarious Trauma for the Individual."
Vicarious trauma (VT) is related to secondary traumatic stress. The victim experiences primary traumatic stress, yet as a victim service provider who uses controlled empathy, you can become secondarily traumatized. By attempting to remain objective, your inner sense of who you are, and your beliefs about feeling safe and trusting others, can change. From not being able to sleep to feeling overwhelmed and not keeping boundaries, VT symptoms can hurt you. It's important to know what contributes to VT, such as professional isolation after hearing trauma-related narratives and being empathetic.
