The BRAVE Blog: Taming Vicarious Trauma

Looking for realistic and sustainable ways to manage Vicarious Trauma and prevent therapist burnout? We have all the tools and resources for you right here, so dive on in.

 
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Why Trauma Therapists Can’t Leave Work at Work
Why Trauma Therapists Can’t Leave Work at Work

Ever felt like that age-old advice to “leave work at work” is nothing more than a guilt trip, setting you up to feel like a failure the moment you think about a client outside your office? Read more for a shame-free way to support all your roles as a trauma therapist and human. 

Managing Vicarious Trauma when the World is on Fire
Managing Vicarious Trauma when the World is on Fire

Vicarious trauma is a normal part of being a trauma therapist. But what happens when we get hit by the double whammy of vicarious trauma AND global crises? You don’t have to be sucked under my the overwhelm - check out this week’s blog for practical support!

The Stigma of Countertransference - Blog Takeover by Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S
The Stigma of Countertransference - Blog Takeover by Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S

"As we ask our clients to trust us with their most profound narratives, there exists a reluctance to extend the same trust within our professional community." Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S, RPT-S, shines a light on the silence around therapists' humanity and the need for a shift towards authenticity in our practice.

Spring Into Healing: Embracing Growth and Boundaries in Trauma Therapy
Spring Into Healing: Embracing Growth and Boundaries in Trauma Therapy

This is a special time of year when everything is coming back to life again. As I am working on getting our garden back in shape, I can't help but be reminded of how this can also be an important time of renewal for us as trauma therapists - a time to weed out vicarious trauma and plant seeds of vicarious resilience!

Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster: Understanding Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Secondary Traumatic Stress
Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster: Understanding Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Secondary Traumatic Stress

Whether you are a trauma therapist or not, you may have heard the terms Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and/or Secondary Traumatic Stress used in seemingly the same ways. That makes it seem like they are interchangeable but, news flash! They’re not.

Self-Care is a Privilege, NOT an Entitlement, for Trauma Therapists
Self-Care is a Privilege, NOT an Entitlement, for Trauma Therapists

If you're anything like me, you loathe the term Self-Care and yet you’re told almost every day that you need it, you should be doing it, and deep down you do know that it’s necessary.

From Badass to BRAVE: How to SAFELY Take Off your Trauma Therapist Armor
From Badass to BRAVE: How to SAFELY Take Off your Trauma Therapist Armor

The #1 thing trauma therapists say to me when I encourage them to remove their professional armor is, “So then how am I supposed to protect myself?!”

My response? “Maybe you don’t need to be protected!”

Hey Trauma Therapist! Be Human, Not Armored
Hey Trauma Therapist! Be Human, Not Armored

I know what you're thinking: "I'm a trauma therapist, I do serious work and have to be a blank slate!" What if I told you that armoring up with all your training and education is setting you up for vicarious trauma?

You Don’t Have to White Knuckle It Through Every Session
You Don’t Have to White Knuckle It Through Every Session

You know what this is like - bracing yourself for sessions, starting a minute (or few) late, knowing there are sessions you dread or finding yourself dreading all of them.

How I learned to invite my own trauma into the room
How I learned to invite my own trauma into the room

As a therapist, I (and we!) are trained to keep things close to the chest. However, in my work with fellow trauma therapists, I know that true healing happens when we are open and intentional in sharing about ourselves and our shared experiences of pain and trauma.

Ready to Tackle Vicarious Trauma?

The BRAVE Vicarious Trauma Workshop will help you deepen your understanding of how VT shows up for you and support you in managing it in realistic and sustainable ways.

 
Online community of trauma therapists connecting and supporting each other in managing vicarious trauma

Building Resilience Against Vicarious Exposure:
A place where trauma therapists can thrive together!