Vicarious traumatisation: risk and resilience among crisis support volunteers in a community organisation

Abstract

This study aims to understand the risks of vicarious trauma and possibilities of resilience among volunteers at an organisation that supports survivors of intimate-partner violence. The analysis identifies the dynamics of the organisation and the risk of vicarious traumatisation that the volunteers faced. The participants explored the personal self-care techniques they found effective and the organisational support available. The findings indicate that there was some degree of recognition of the risk by individual support workers, and also some attempts by the organisation to offer support, but these were undermined by a prevailing stigma among volunteers associated with admitting and showing vulnerability and inadequacy. Such denialism has a negative impact on both volunteers and organisational support structures, and also indirectly affects the clients seeking support. This analysis supports the importance of dealing with vicarious traumatisation in the training of volunteers and makes recommendations for the ongoing functioning of organisations, in order to facilitate effective recognition, non-stigmatised acceptance, and management of vicarious traumatisation among crisis support workers.

Keywords

Community-based organisations crisis intervention intimate-partner violence South Africa vicarious traumatisation volunteers

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abrahams

Mathews

Jewkes

Martin

Lombard

(2012). Every eight hours: Intimate femicide in South Africa 10 years later (MRC Research Brief). Retrieved from http://www.mrc.ac.za/policybriefs/everyeighthours.pdf

Adams

Riggs

(2008). An exploratory study of vicarious trauma among therapist trainees. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2, 26–34.

Astin

(1997). Traumatic therapy: How helping rape victims affects me as a therapist. Women & Therapy, 20(1), 101–109.

Brady

Guy

(1999). Vicarious traumatization, spirituality, and the treatment of sexual abuse survivors: A national survey of women psychotherapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 30, 386–393.

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101.

Chandler

Kruger

(2005). Volunteers at risk! Experiences of lay counsellors at a support centre for abused women. New Voices in Psychology, 1, 70–80.

Christopher

Maris

(2010). Integrating mindfulness as self-care into counselling and psychotherapy training. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 10, 114–125.

Cyr

Dowrick

(1991). Burnout in crisis line volunteers. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 18, 343–354.

Demmer

(2006). Confronting AIDS-related loss and grief: An exploratory study of professional caregivers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. African Journal of AIDS Research, 5, 97–107.

10.

Dunkley

Whelan

(2006). Vicarious traumatisation: Current status and future directions. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 34, 107–116.

11.

Figley

(2002). Treating Compassion Fatigue. New York: Routledge

12.

Herman

(2001) Trauma and Recovery (3rd Rev). New York: Pandora

13.

Kinzel

Nanson

(2000). Education and debriefing: Strategies for preventing crises in crisis-line volunteers. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention, 21, 126–134.

14.

Lerias

Byrne

(2003). Vicarious traumatization: Symptoms and predictors. Stress and Health, 19, 129–138.

15.

Neumann

Gamble

(1995). Issues in the professional development of psychotherapists: Countertransference and vicarious traumatization in the new trauma therapist. Psychotherapy, 32, 341–347.

16.

Pearlman

Mac Ian

(1995). Vicarious traumatization: An empirical study of the effects of trauma work on trauma therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 558–565.

17.

Samios

Abel

Rodzik

(2013). The protective role of compassion satisfaction for therapists who work with sexual violence survivors: An application of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, 26, 610–623.

18.

Sanderson

(2010). Introduction to counselling survivors of interpersonal trauma. London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

19.

Schauben

Frazier

(1995). Vicarious trauma: The effects on female counselors on working with sexual violence survivors. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 49–64.

20.

Sexton

(1999). Vicarious traumatisation of counsellors and effects on their workplaces. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 27, 393–403.

21.

Sommer

(2008). Vicarious traumatization, trauma-sensitive supervision, and counselor preparation. Counselor Education and Supervision, 48, 61–71.

22.

Stamm

B. H.

(2002). Measuring compassion satisfaction as well as fatigue: Developmental history of the compassion satisfaction and fatigue test. In Figley

(Ed.), Treating compassion fatigue (pp. 107–122). New York, NY: Routledge.

23.

Steed

Downing

(1998). A phenomenological study of vicarious traumatisation amongst psychologists and professional counsellors working in the field of sexual abuse/assault. The Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies. Retrieved from http://www.massey.ac.nz/~trauma/issues/1998-2/steed.htm

24.

Taylor

Furlonger

(2011). A review of vicarious traumatisation and supervision among Australian telephone and online counsellors. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 21, 225–235. doi:10.1375/ajgc.21.2.225

25.

Trippany

White Kress

Wilcoxon

(2004). Preventing vicarious trauma: What counselors should know when working with trauma survivors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82, 31–37.

26.

Van Dyk

(2007). Occupational stress experienced by caregivers working in the HIV/AIDS field in South Africa. African Journal of AIDS Research, 6, 49–66.

27.

Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) and Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) (2011). Volunteer management needs assessment among South African civil society organisations: Final research report (Unpublished report). Pretoria, South Africa: Author.

28.

Williams

Helm

Clemens

(2012). The effect of childhood trauma, personal wellness, supervisory working alliance, and organizational factors on vicarious traumatization. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34, 133–153.