Secondary Trauma: How Working with Trauma Survivors Affects Therapists

Abstract

Secondary trauma, a relatively recent topic that has emerged in the field of social work, includes the emotional and psychological effects that working with traumatized clients has on therapists. Secondary trauma can seriously impact therapists' personal and professional well-being. Trauma therapists face major ethical dilemmas if their reactions to being traumatized enter into the therapeutic relationship, exposing clients to psychological harm or possibly re-traumatization. As many graduate programs in social work and social service agencies are still unaware of this phenomenon, recommendations are made for how to introduce the topic as priority and how to cope with and prevent secondary trauma.