Addressing Vicarious Trauma: Moving Beyond Self-Care

Because the causes and effects of vicarious trauma extend far beyond the individual, its solution is also systemic. Encouraging self-care in your staff is critical, but research shows that it is not enough. When organizational leaders build a trauma-informed organization, they safeguard the well-being of their team in the face of demands and scarcity.

The table below identifies ways you can scaffold self-care strategies with meaningful organizational change.

Strategy	Self-Care Intervention	Organizational Intervention
Assessment is an excellent starting point for change at any level.	You can give your staff the Professional Quality of Life Assessment, or ProQOL, as a starting point for conversations in their professional and personal lives. We recommend that you don’t mandate that staff discuss their results with you. They can use this tool on their own terms for growth.	Becoming a trauma-informed organization is an iterative process. These tools, and perhaps the support of a guide or consultant, can help you find and meet benchmarks along the way.
Empowerment is an antidote to the powerlessness at the heart of vicarious trauma.	It’s important for folks in the helping professions to be attuned to their own boundaries and to assert them when needed.	Offer opportunities for staff members to share feedback. Shift power in meaningful ways so that staff shape agency policies, procedures, and culture.
Work-life balance reminds providers of their identities and sources of meaning outside the workplace.	Support your staff in taking time off when they need a break. Have systems in place so that this doesn’t disrupt client satisfaction.	Guarantee reasonable workloads, generous pay, and enough paid time off. At worst, self-care isn’t possible without these safeguards in place, and at best, it only goes so far. Research shows that social workers who are more financially stable are more to practice self-care.
Connections and relationships are vital for mental well-being, as vicarious trauma can be isolating.	Strong relationships in and outside the office can ground employees through the emotional storms of human services work.	Although one-on-one work with clients can be isolating, collaboration helps providers do their best work. Also create spaces for colleagues to connect over topics unrelated to work.
Self-compassion eases suffering.	If providers can find compassion for themselves, they can better navigate the gap between what they want to offer clients and what is possible.	The best way to foster compassion in staff is to express compassion toward them. Hire and train supervisors to be empathetic and supportive.

With the support of a trauma-informed system in place, your team will be better equipped to practice self-care, overcome vicarious trauma, and meet the needs of our changing world.