How do you assess and manage the risk of vicarious trauma among CISM providers?

1 Self-assessment tools

One of the first steps to prevent and reduce vicarious trauma is to monitor your own level of stress and well-being. There are several self-assessment tools that can help you identify the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma, such as the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), the Compassion Fatigue Self-Test, or the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS). These tools can help you evaluate your level of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, and provide you with feedback and recommendations. You can use these tools regularly to track your progress and adjust your coping strategies.

2 Peer support and supervision

Another important step to manage vicarious trauma is to seek peer support and supervision. Peer support is the process of sharing your experiences and feelings with other CISM providers who can understand and empathize with you. Peer support can help you reduce isolation, normalize your reactions, and gain new perspectives and insights. Supervision is the process of receiving guidance and feedback from a qualified professional who can help you improve your skills, address ethical issues, and cope with emotional challenges. Supervision can help you enhance your competence, confidence, and accountability.

3 Self-care practices

Engaging in self-care practices is a third essential step to prevent and reduce vicarious trauma. Self-care is the act of taking care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs in order to restore your energy, balance, and well-being. To accomplish this, you should ensure you get enough sleep and rest, eat healthy and stay hydrated, exercise regularly and stay active, relax and meditate, pursue hobbies and interests, spend time with family and friends, and seek professional help if needed.

4 Organizational support and policies

A fourth crucial step to manage vicarious trauma is to seek organizational support and policies. Your workplace should provide resources and guidelines to help you cope with the demands and stressors of your role. This could include debriefing and defusing sessions after critical incidents, flexible work arrangements, clear roles and expectations, regular feedback and appraisal, teamwork and collaboration, and access to counseling and wellness programs. Organizational support and policies can create a safe environment, reduce workload and role ambiguity, increase recognition and rewards, and provide training and development opportunities.

5 Resilience skills and strategies

A fifth and final step to prevent and reduce vicarious trauma is to develop resilience skills and strategies. Resilience is the capacity to adapt and bounce back from stress and adversity. This can help CISM providers manage the challenges and changes they may face. Examples of resilience skills and strategies include cultivating a positive outlook, finding purpose in your work, setting goals and priorities, regulating your emotions, seeking help, and learning from experiences and feedback.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?