Secondary trauma symptoms in clinicians.pdfVIP

Clinical Psychology Review 31 (2011) 25–36 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Clinical Psychology ReviewSecondary trauma symptoms in clinicians: A critical review of the construct, specificity, and implications for trauma-focused treatment Lisa S. Elwood a,b,?, Juliette Mott b,c, Jeffrey M. Lohr a, Tara E. Galovski b a Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, United States b Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, United States c Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, United States? Corresponding author. Kathy J. Weinman Bldg., lower Louis, One University Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63121-4400, U 9115. E-mail address: elwoodls@ (L.S. Elwood). 0272-7358/$ – see front matter ? 2010 Elsevier Ltd. Al doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.09.004a b s t r a c ta r t i c l e i n f oArticle history: Received 28 May 2010 Received in revised form 20 August 2010 Accepted 10 September 2010 Keywords: Secondary trauma Compassion fatigue Vicarious traumatization PTSDAdvocates of the concept of secondary traumatization propose that clinicians who provide trauma-focused treatment may be particularly at risk for experiencing secondary trauma symptoms. This specific symptom presentation purportedly develops following exposure to the traumatic experiences described by their clients. Consequently, these professionals have advocated for increases in resources devoted to the prevention and treatment of secondary trauma symptoms (e.g., enhanced clinician training, increase in availability of treatment options for affected trauma workers, etc.). A review of empirical literature examining prevalence and specificity of secondary trauma symptoms in trauma clinicians is provided. Findings are mixed and often indicate that trauma clinicians are not frequently experiencing “clinically significant” levels of symptoms and that these symptoms may not be uniquely associated with trauma-focused treatment. Finally, it is argued that additional clarification and research on t