Guidebook on Vicarious Trauma: Recommended Solutions for Anti-Violence Workers

Description

Written for women working in anti-violence fields (e.g. domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault). Uses a strong gender lens and the specific challenges for women workers in these fields.

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What's the evidence base for this resource

 Based on the author's 8 months of consultations with expert workers in the sector, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Family Violence. The author was contracted by the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children in London, Ontario, The  University  of  Western  Ontario, to produce this report for the Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada. 


Potential uses and limitations

The resource is intended for women workers in anti-violence work. Some of the content is also quite specific to the Canadian context. Also note that the publication date is 2001.

Covers topics ranging from individual self-care practices, to organisational strategies. The uniquely feminist perspective, with an emphasis on gender and social justice, sets this apart from many other trauma related resources. The section on organisational strategies includes sections on:

Feminist Philosophy  
Social Justice 
Organizational Structure
Staffing
Human Resources Policies and Practices
Training 
Administrative and Support Staff
Hiring
Orientation and Training
Personal Relationships of Staff
Supervision
Retreats and Celebrations
Exiting Gracefully


Where it comes from

Published by National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Canada. Some of the content does apply specifically to the Canadian context.



Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Domestic Violence Advocates: Workplace Risk and Protective Factors

Description (article abstract): This study identified workplace factors associated with secondary traumatic stress (STS) in a sample of 148 domestic violence advocates working in diverse settings. Findings indicate that co-worker support and quality clinical supervision are critical to emotional well-being and that an environment in which there is shared power—that is, respect for diversity, mutuality, and consensual decision making—provides better protection for advocates than more traditional, hierarchical organizational models. Furthermore, shared power emerged as the only workplace variable to significantly predict STS above and beyond individual factors. The discussion includes implications for practice and policy as well as directions for future research.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801209347469


What's the evidence base for this resource:
Published in peer reviewed academic journal.

Potential uses and limitations:
Discusses the importance of worker empowerment as a key protective factor. Could be a useful discussion starter where workers report severe lack of control and power in the workplace.

Where it comes from:
Slattery, S. M., & Goodman, L. A. (2009). Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Domestic Violence Advocates: Workplace Risk and Protective Factors. Violence Against Women, 15(11), 1358–1379. 


Traumatic horror, injustice, embitterment and shame: The impact of moral injury in the workplace

Description: Fear based models of PTSD have dominated research and clinical approaches to PTSD since the 1990s. The role of overwhelming horror, injustice, embitterment and shame emerge as alternative pathways to traumatic stress injury and the role of such emotions in addition to exposure to ‘life threat’. This session will provide attendees with an overview of research in moral injury which aims to expand treatments for PTSD to better address role of these forms of traumatic stress injury.


What's the evidence base for this resource: Professor Zachary Steel is a recognized academic researcher at the University of New South Wales. We have a high degree of confidence in the information presented. 


Potential uses and limitations: Discussion starter on the under-recognized issue of moral injury. Useful for supervisors.

Does not provide any advice on how this could be addressed at an organisational/primary prevention level.

 

Where it comes from: Recorded as part of WorkSafe Tasmania PTSD: "Mental Health Matters" Conference, 14th October 2019


Content Warning: These videos address issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Please be aware that presentations may contain content and imagery that may be confronting or cause distress.






Resiliency Project: A Gecko’s Guide to Building Resiliency in Child Abuse Staff & Volunteers

Description: The (US based) Resiliency Project engaged researchers, educators, and practitioners from the child abuse field in a collaborative effort to develop, implement, and evaluate an organisationally based program to build resiliency in staff and volunteers. Twelve service organisations participated in the project.

Key to the project were the pilot "resiliency coaches" who evaluated all training and technical assistance products related to the organisational program model.

The model identified 5 key themes- self-knowledge and insight, sense of hope, healthy coping, strong relationships, and personal perspective and meaning- that can be promoted in the culture of organisations.


This is a summary report.

What's the evidence base for this resource: Evaluation conducted by the Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) at the University of Texas School of Social Work.


Potential uses and limitation:  It includes examples of specific interventions implemented under the categories of Policy, Supervisory Technique, and Competency-based Training. There are a range of training and reflection exercises that could be useful in supervision contexts.  Suggested practice examples  range from personal reflections, through to policies that promote staff well being.

Where it comes from:  Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA) in the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work


Resisting Burnout With Justice-Doing

Description: This series of video presentations critiques the notions of 'burnout' and 'vicarious trauma'. Instead, Dr Reynolds suggests 'spiritual pain' as a more accurate term to describe what happens when workers are faced with the effects that oppression has on the lives of clients. She argues that the key question for workers and organisations is not 'how is your mental health?', but rather 'how are we treating each other?'

Dr Reynolds has also written about her approach to 'centring ethics' in supervision to explore the harms experienced by workers in this article which she has made freely available through her website.

Dr Vikki Reynolds is an activist/therapist who works to bridge the worlds of social justice activism with community work & therapy.

 

What's the evidence base for this resource:  Dr Reynold's experience includes supervision and therapy with refugees and survivors of torture, sexualized violence counsellors, mental health and substance misuse counsellors, housing and shelter workers, activists and working alongside gender and sexually diverse communities.

 

Potential uses and limitation: Provides a perspective on "vicarious trauma" that challenges clinical, symptom focused frameworks. Useful for workplaces that place ethical considerations at the centre of their work, to think about how teams and organisations can develop effective practices of collective care and accountability.

 

Where it comes from: Dr Vikki Reynolds' professional development presentation for the BC Settlement and Language Service Providers' Provincial Meeting hosted by AMSSA, 2017.






Constructive Communication: The VT Network Approach

Description: A clearly described set of communication principles aimed at promoting transparency and shared power in decision making.

What's the evidence base for this resource: Based on practice experience/wisdom the organisation. The guidelines are explicitly based on an ethical commitment to respectful communication, rather than a positivist evidence based or clinical approach.

Potential uses and limitations: A simple, useful guide where communication from leadership, or within teams, is identified as a problem.

 Where it comes from: Developed by the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence .

The guidelines have been made available by the US VTT site