Vicarious trauma - a critical discussion

Abstract

Vicarious trauma refers to a condition that may be experienced by people who are exposed to stressful situations via a third party. It is very prevalent in the healthcare industry where employees are required to deal with situations that have caused pain, anguish and/or harm to the people they are caring for. Left untreated, the consequences of this trauma can be devastating for the employee and increase problems for the employing body. Reflective supervision provided by a skilled supervisor is recommended in an attempt to mitigate the severity of vicarious trauma.