Vicarious Trauma & Compassion Fatigue

As helping professionals, we may not be fully prepared for the psychological, physical, spiritual, and emotional impact of our work with people impacted by trauma. Historically, attention to vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue has been relegated to a study module, a one-time discussion, an assigned reading, or agency supervision,rather than being an integrated component of our daily lives as helpers. This brief workshop will provide an opportunity to explore the benefits of developing a common language around vicarious traumatization, and explicitly integrating on-going discussions around compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and self-care into the fabric of trauma-informed practice.