Abstract
IntroductionResearch has consistently demonstrated professionals in helping roles (“helping professionals”) experience vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. Vicarious post-traumatic growth has also been identified in the literature. This article aimed to contribute to understanding the experiences of these constructs of trainee helping professionals. Emphasis was placed on how to foster vicarious post-traumatic growth.MethodsA qualitative semi-structured interview was designed to enable the researchers to explore the experiences of 14 trainee psychologists from an Australian Master of Clinical Psychology program.ResultsIt was identified that burnout, and beginning stages of vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress might occur during psychologists’ training. Five elements underpin vicarious post-traumatic growth, four of which were reflected in this article. A need and suggestions for how to further develop vicarious post-traumatic growth are discussed.ConclusionThis research could go on to be applied to curriculum development and practice policy, ultimately leading to improved early-intervention and ongoing systems of support for helping professionals. This, in turn, would improve quality of care in communities.
Highlights
Research has consistently demonstrated professionals in helping roles (“helping professionals”) experience vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout
The aims of this research were to collate data obtained from trainee clinical psychologists in their final year of an Australian Master of Clinical Psychology (MCP) program, with specific regard to their experiences of their clinical work and to analyse these data with regard to positive and harmful ways trainees have been impacted by their clinical work
This study sought to explore trainee psychologists’ experiences of their clinical training with a focus on how these experiences relate to the constructs of vicarious trauma (VT), moral injury (MI), compassion fatigue (CF), STS, burnout, and vicarious posttraumatic growth (VPTG); and that they might have developed over the course of training
Summary
Research has consistently demonstrated professionals in helping roles (“helping professionals”) experience vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. Vicarious posttraumatic growth has been identified in the literature. This article aimed to contribute to understanding the experiences of these constructs of trainee helping professionals. Results: It was identified that burnout, and beginning stages of vicarious trauma, moral injury, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress might occur during psychologists’ training. Throughout human history, innumerable professional and non-professional roles have existed and will exist to provide a form of care, or help,[1] to members of all communities across the globe, in countless contexts. Previous research on how “helping professionals” have responded to the process of providing professional help has identified a number of constructs. The wellbeing of helping professionals, their organisations, and the outcomes of those they are providing care to[4] rely on identification of ways to attend to responses that are harmful and achieve and maintain positive responses
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
