TPC-Journal-V5-Issue4

The Professional Counselor /Volume 5, Issue 4 530 Trauma and Vicarious Exposure Traumatic events have been described as negative, sudden and uncontrollable (Creamer, McFarlane, & Burgess, 2005; Olff, Langeland, Draijer, & Gersons, 2007; Sarri, 2005), often involving serious injury, threats of death or actual death, or challenges to the physical integrity of oneself or another (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Traumatic experiences often result in a crisis during which an individual is unable to effectively use typical problem-solving methods and can experience frustration and distress with the disruption of daily activities and life goals (Brammer, 1985; Caplan, 1961; James & Gilliland, 2013). Traumatization also can occur when individuals have neither the internal nor external resources to adequately cope with the results of these crisis events (van der Kolk, 1989). It has been stated that traumatic events are not the cause of harm to individuals’ psychological or physical self; it is their reaction to the trauma that leads to harm (Williams, 2006). In general practice, counselors are often exposed to and affected by trauma-related issues shared by clients (Michalopoulos & Aparicio, 2012). Approximately 70% of 221 mental health workers reported being exposed to moderate or profound amounts of trauma material in a study examining vicarious or secondary exposure to trauma (Kadambi & Truscott, 2004). In an earlier study, 37% of mental health workers reported emotional, physical and mental problems related to secondary trauma associated with their clinical work (Cornille & Myers, 1999). Additional research has confirmed the potential deleterious effects on counselors of continual exposure to clients’ traumatic issues (e.g., Arvay, 2001; Buchanan, Anderson, Uhlemann, & Horwitz, 2006; Figley, 2002; Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995). While providing general psychotherapy can affect a counselor both personally and professionally, trauma therapy often has a unique effect on therapists distinctive from general counseling (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995). Counselors who work primarily with clients with trauma issues are at a higher risk for developing vicarious trauma than those with a general caseload (Brady, Guy, Poelstra, & Brokaw, 1997; Chrestman, 1995; Cunningham, 1999; Kassan-Adams, 1995; Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995 Schauben & Frazier, 1995). Vicarious Traumatization Figley (1983) suggested “secondary victimization” and “secondary traumatic stress” as terms to characterize the effect of exposing traumatic material to other people. Furthermore, secondary traumatic stress has been defined by Figley (1993) as the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from awareness of a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other and the associated stress resulting from helping or wanting to help. Though similar in its connection to the impact on counselors exposed to the traumatic experiences of clients, vicarious traumatization (VT) possesses unique characteristics in relation to the degree of impact. VT was later coined as a term to describe the situations in which a counselor experiences intrusive imagery that appear as disruptions to a therapist’s imagery system of memory and yield painful experiences of images and emotions associated with clients’ traumatic memories (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995). As described in Moulden and Firestone (2007), the three primary characteristics of VT are: (a) pervasive impact that affects several aspects of therapists’ lives; (b) cumulative effect in that each exposure to the trauma reported by victims increases the risk and impact of the trauma response in the helper; and (c) potentially permanent detrimental emotional and psychological effects such as a change in perspective and imagery. The primary symptoms of VT include disturbances in