Vicarious, secondary trauma: Learning the signs, triggers
By Stacy Parmer, Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program director
Jane Doe is a lawyer who has worked with trauma survivors for the last five years. She has developed a pessimistic view of the world and struggles to trust others.
Jane has vicarious trauma, which is a gradual and cumulative change in a person's worldview, beliefs, and emotional responses because of repeatedly hearing or witnessing traumatic experiences of others. It can lead to a changed perception of safety, trust, and justice, and it can impact a person's sense of self.1
John Doe is a lawyer who hears the details of a traumatic accident and experiences intense flashbacks and anxiety but does not develop a fundamentally different worldview.
John likely has secondary traumatic stress, which is the experience of PTSD-like symptoms (e.g., re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal) after hearing or witnessing someone else's trauma. It can occur after a single event or repeated exposure to traumatic material and can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and difficulty functioning.
A 2021 study about secondary trauma in the legal profession found that:
legal professionals, particularly those employed in criminal law, will experience work with vulnerable victims of crime. This exposure implies contact with traumatogenic material, such as graphic, injurious, photographic evidence or witness accounts and narratives of traumatic events, accompanied by heightened levels of emotions and distress from clients.2
When it comes to vicarious or secondary trauma, it’s important for lawyers to be aware of what may trigger a trauma response. Triggers are events or personality types that cause an intense emotional response, and they are different for each person.
Examples of triggers in the legal profession are abuse of vulnerable populations, certain kinds of disrespect, unfair or unjust realities of life/systems, events that open old wounds or cut too close to home, and double binds. Double binds are the conflicting demands from your client, the court, or ethical guidelines, and the feeling that, no matter what action you take, you risk negative consequences.
Common responses to triggers are intense anger, depression, withdrawal, anxiety, or substance use and physical issues such as headaches, stomach problems, back pain, and fatigue.
Prioritizing mental health by understanding the difference between secondary and vicarious trauma and how it impacts you is essential for improving individual well-being in the legal profession and helping to even better serve your clients and communities.
The Vicarious Trauma Scale (VTS) was developed during a study exploring vicarious trauma in the legal profession.3 The eight items assess subjective levels of distress associated with working with traumatized clients.
For each item, select a number below that corresponds to how strongly you agree or disagree with the statement:
1. Strongly disagree
2. Disagree
3. Slightly disagree
4. Neither agree nor disagree
5. Slightly agree
6. Agree
7. Strongly agree
Statements:
1. My job involves exposure to distressing material and experiences.
2. My job involves exposure to traumatized or distressed clients.
3. I find myself distressed by listening to my clients’ stories and situations.
4. I find it difficult to deal with the content of my work.
5. I find myself thinking about distressing material at home.
6. Sometimes I feel helpless to assist my clients in the way I would like.
7. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the workload involved in my job.
8. It is hard to stay positive and optimistic given some of the things I encounter in my work.
Tally your scores. The higher the score, the higher the level of distress.
The Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program is here to help support you through vicarious or secondary trauma. If you would like to talk more about trauma, you can call 1-800-688-7859 to talk to a licensed counselor at no cost. All services are strictly confidential.
MOLAP can also connect you to peer volunteers who have had similar experiences or other resources to support you. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength and hope.
Visit https://MoBar.org/MOLAP for more information.
Editor’s note: The information in this article does not constitute a formal diagnosis. Please see a medical professional for an official diagnosis.
Endotes:
1 Amy Marschall, Vicarious Trauma: The Cost of Care and Compassion, Verywell Mind, April 30, 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/vicarious-trauma-the-cost-of-care-and-compassion-7377234.
2 Stine Iversen, Noelle Robertson, Prevalence and predictors of secondary trauma in the legal profession: a systematic review, 28 Psychiatr Psychol Law, 802-822 (2021), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35694647/.
3 Vrklevski L.P., Franklin J., Vicarious Trauma Scale, APA PsycTests, 2008, https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ft03119-000.