Title: Vicarious trauma & burnout | The Lookout
Headings: Vicarious trauma & burnout
Vicarious trauma & burnout
Impacts of responding to family violence
Recognising the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma
Recognising the signs and symptoms of burnout
How to protect yourself
Preventing burnout

Content: A person’s world view (belief systems) can be significantly changed as a result of hearing those stories. Vicarious trauma is cumulative, building up over time. Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. Its symptoms mimic those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Burnout is the prolonged physical and psychological exhaustion related to a person’s work. It does not include traumatic elements or PTSD-like symptoms. While it can be helpful to have an understanding of what these terms mean, it’s also important to know that not everybody will identify these as distinct experiences. For example, you may find that you experience a little bit of each of these at different times. What can be most helpful is to have an understanding of the impacts so that you and your workplace can be proactive in preventing or minimising these impacts. Recognising the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma
This is not an exhaustive list but it covers some of the common signs of vicarious trauma: