Secondary trauma: A team approach

Abstract

Bearing witness to trauma stories can evoke in clinicians the confusion and emotional turmoil their clients experience, known as secondary trauma. Given the complexities of trauma work, practitioners need help to clarify issues and feel more effective. The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 further compound the task, as therapists may themselves be feeling the impact of those events. Presented here is a team model for structured case discussion which can help workers identify and deal with their reactions to both client trauma stories and their own experiences. The model is explained and illustrated with examples, and the process by which it was piloted and evaluated is discussed. © 2004 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.