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.