As a helping professional, many factors can influence the development of vicarious trauma, including client accounts and your own personal and professional experiences. The shifts in cognitive schemas, as discussed in this week’s Discussion, however, are not absolute. You can participate in activities that can minimize or ameliorate the effects of VT. Self-awareness and self-assessment are critical in identifying the development of VT. It is important to note that practitioners who are more susceptible to VT, such as those working with survivors of critical incidents, especially need to be aware of the symptoms and take steps to minimize the development of VT.
For this Assignment, reflect on the strategies you read about and those you may know from outside this course. Consider those that you use currently or might use in the future to mitigate the effects of VT. Complete the Compassion Fatigue Self Test and analyze the results.
The Assignment (2–3 pages):
Summarize the results of the self-assessment.
Explain what you learned about yourself as it relates to vicarious trauma.
Describe three strategies that you might use to mitigate the effects of vicarious trauma, and explain why you selected each.
