Vicarious Trauma and Resilience Part 3: Impacts of the Practitioner

Vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout are defined and presented as occupational hazards that can be managed to reduce their impact on practitioners, their clients and the other people in practitioners’ lives. Factors such as work environment, professional status, professional recognition and personal life are discussed with respect to the influence they have on vicarious trauma and associated difficulties. The positive impacts of empathically engaging with clients, such as compassion satisfaction, vicarious resilience and post-traumatic growth, are also discussed.