Vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue, trauma exposure response, and burnout are “all forms of stress that may affect those working in “helping” professions because their work involves direct exposure to other’s trauma.” (Phoenix, 2014)  Often, vicarious trauma refers to a changing in someone’s worldview and secondary traumatic stress refers to the emotional duress an individual may experience as the result of working with someone who has experienced violence. These changes can result in a shift in ideals and have a negative effect on work with students, supervisors, or even the institution at large.  In order for campus staff to continue to provide trauma-informed, timely, and appropriate care for students, employees must have the opportunity to find support and practice their own self-care.

This interactive presentation will highlight the importance of recognizing and responding to personal experiences with vicarious trauma as well as implementing approaches for prevention. The facilitators will identify obstacles to a healthy self-care plan as well as resources for staff to use including methods of self-care and ideas for vicarious trauma prevention.