Vicarious trauma

The following are a few symptoms of vicarious trauma:

• Adrenalin addiction – being unable to avoid risk taking activities and behaviour. Feeling a sense of low mood and malaise without such activities
• Avoidance – avoiding certain types of matters, or clients, forgetting, avoiding meetings, sickness
• Hyperarousal – having trouble sleeping, short fuse, startle effect, over reactions, rescue mentality, feeling like you can never do enough
• Hypoarousal – withdrawal, tiredness, lack of motivation difficulty getting things done, flat emotion
• Somatic disturbance – aches and pains, lowered immunity, reactions smells and sounds, headaches, tiredness and accidents / injuries

• Refer for professional support
• Manage workloads
• Provide safe and professional debriefing and opportunities for peer and professional support
• Be creative and active outside of your work and maintain social support networks to reconnect with your own environment
• Spend quality time with family and friends
• Ensure you feel a sense of pride in yourself for the important work that you are doing

• Raise awareness and give training to those potentially exposed
• Recognise and validate the condition
• Provide supervision, mentoring, and counselling
• Remember that you do not have to continue working in this area if you feel it is having a negative impact upon you and your health
• Feel proud of what you are doing, rather than guilt
• Seek to increase your resilience skills

• Prepare yourself to approach material, images and content firmly with your ‘work hat’ on
• Only deal with the material that the role demands e.g. where schedules or statements may suffice, rather than viewing original videos or multiple viewings of vulnerable witness interviews
• Consider carefully how much you re-expose yourself and others to this material
• Take regular breaks, performing other activities after which occupy your mind or performing a mindfulness technique before or after your work
• Change body posture if you feel your body tense or becoming distressed from the work. This can actively alleviate the mind
• If you find you are experiencing recurring images and thoughts, acknowledge it as such, then consciously bring forward a positive image and focus on the positive one
• Prepare to respond positively to your mentors and colleagues if they seek to support or signpost you for concerns they’ve observed
• Acknowledge that your work is challenging and normalize the fact that from time to time you may need to address issue which may arise
• Ensure that you seek professional help if your own practices are not assisting you

Your chambers or organisation should consider:

• Having good occupational health policies and training
• Ensuring there are regular meetings and evaluations (face to face)
• Putting in place wellbeing committees and practices
• Promoting positive psychology and supportive behaviour that does not include cynical or destructive behaviour
• Ensuring change is managed appropriately to reduce anxiety e.g. with practice or rules
• Communicating and having supportive mentoring
• Continuing Professional Development

• Regular meetings or discussions to develop awareness of your mentees practice or current demands.
• Agree to ‘check in’ during difficult work load periods or following a challenging case/work load period.
• Discuss & help them reflect upon their work load and how they are currently managing it.
• Follow up to aid evaluation of their management and support strategies.
• Consider directly, what they felt they’re doing well with managing, and not so well with managing and what can be put in place to support or change difficulties.
• Ensure there is open and supportive dialogue with other management committee or clerks to create a ‘safe’ environment for raising concerns.
• Note any obvious changes in demeanor and supportively raise your concern.
• Have a clinical support to refer them to for confidential assistance.