Burnout and Secondary Trauma among Professionals Working with Children who are Victims of Abuse
A question I want to explore is how a work environment can be structured to minimize the risks of burnout and secondary trauma for professionals who work with children who have been abused. Professionals who are working with child victims of abuse are especially susceptible to secondary trauma and burnout (Salloum, 2015). Secondary trauma is when symptoms that are nearly identical to PTSD are experienced by professionals who are working closely with survivors of trauma (Severson, 2013). One common and false myth about secondary trauma is that it can occur from witnessing an event like a terrorist attack on the news. When incidents similar to this are referred to as ‘secondary trauma’ by some individuals it can de-legitimize the very real symptoms that many forensic psychologists, and others working in the criminal justice field face. Secondary trauma for these professionals is often overlooked and my hope is to propose ideas that could prioritize mental health and aid in preventing the effects of burnout and vicarious trauma among professionals.
An interesting fact that I discovered while researching secondary trauma among professionals who work with survivors of trauma is that the levels of stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout are disputed because various studies have provided completely different results. Some results say that secondary trauma occurs frequently for forensic psychologists who work with sex offenders, or abused children, while others report a positive experience for the same jobs (Franklin, 2013). Future research questions could ask whether secondary trauma and burnout correspond with more than the traumatic events alone, and if the broader work environment and self-care approaches leave a significant impact. Specifically, I want to ask whether burnout is an end result of long time exposure to secondary trauma or if secondary trauma is more common among forensic psychologists who are already experiencing burnout. One limitation to this question is that burnout and secondary trauma are only recently researched topics in criminal justice careers and it might be difficult to differentiate the two since they often occur simultaneously.
Research has indicated that negative experiences from a job may be related to the organization and administration, rather than the aspects of the job that deal with victims or dangerous situations (Perron, 2006). One quote that I want to share comes from a study of the effects of secondary trauma on parole officers for sex offenders:
“The officers consistently indicated that they felt little departmental support in general, “And ugh, dealing with all of that [sex offenders] . . . . the department says they have help for us, but they really do not.” Some officers described negative experiences with departmental supports.”
– Parole Officers’ Experiences of the Symptoms of Secondary Trauma in the Supervision of Sex Offenders, Margaret Severson and Carrie Pettus-Davis
This quote may indicate evidence for the ideas expressed by (Perron, 2006) that burnout and secondary trauma may be preventable by actions taken by the departments and broader workplace.
Many professionals who work with trauma change careers to work in a lower stress environment. Staff turnover rate is especially high for those working with children who are victims of abuse (Salloum, 2015). If there were resources available for approaches to self-care in the workplace, there could also be more experienced and happy professionals helping to keep our communities safer. Some possible solutions to self-care that could prevent burnout could include physical activities, training sessions, group sessions to discuss feelings of secondary trauma and burnout, and empathetic supervisors who are willing to listen to and provide support for professionals working with victims of trauma. One frequent example is free group yoga classes, which is common in law firms, which is another example of a high stress job that can quickly lead to burnout. While suggestions such as group yoga classes and training sessions might be helpful and beneficial, there are also limitations to these approaches when it comes to funding.
An improved understanding of the mental health needs of professionals working with children who are survivors of trauma and an increased emphasis on approaches to self-care in the workplace will benefit more than just the individuals performing this work. This deeper understanding and improvement in approached to secondary trauma and burnout will make professionals better equipped for their difficult jobs, which means they will have better outcomes and will leave a lasting positive impact on the broader community as a result.
References:
Perron, B., & Hiltz, B. (2006). Burnout and Secondary Trauma Among Forensic Interviewers of Abused Children. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 23(2), 216-234.
Salloum, Kondrat, Johnco, & Olson. (2015). The role of self-care on compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary trauma among child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 49, 54-61.
Severson, M., & Pettus-Davis, C. (2013). Parole Officers’ Experiences of the Symptoms of Secondary Trauma in the Supervision of Sex Offenders. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 57(1), 5-24.