(talk of trauma) + (talk of trauma) + (talk of trauma) = vicarious trauma
In the media's scramble to understand the "whys" behind the Fort Hood tragedy, a great deal of discussion is being paid to the fact that the apparent shooter was a Muslim. While I am unsure of how, if in any way, his faith played a role in what happened, my thoughts go in a different direction. I wonder about the vicarious trauma that he must have faced counseling at the largest military installation in the U. S.
While more people are aware of how trauma effects humans than ever before, most don't understand the communicable consequences of this kind of trauma. Vicarious trauma is, per the Headington Institute, "the negative changes that happen to humanitarian workers over time as they witness other people’s suffering and need." While there are a variety of benefits to providing therapy this can be one of the darker aspects of the work of helping others.
Sitting and listening to patients day in and day out, especially in the pressure cooker environment of a major military base, full of veterans from two wars, has to be overwhelming. Combine that with how under staffed and under budgeted the military is with regard to mental health services and the fact that most men are loathe to talk about their feelings due to the stigma--wow! I am feeling overwhelmed thinking about the challenges men and women in military mental health must face.
Just two weeks ago Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that many military personnel fear a stigma if they seek help for psychological injuries. He openly criticized a government and military bureaucracy that is “frustrating, adversarial and unnecessarily complex." When the top man is that candid about the problem, it must be quite profound.
There are a variety of ways that vicarious trauma can be avoided and I want to know if any of those systems were in place, and how efficiently they were implemented, at Fort Hood. According to an excellent article from The Journal of Counseling & Development (email me for a pdf if you are interested) by Trippany, White and Wilcoxon, there are a variety of way that trauma of this sort can be kept at a minimum. Among the recommendations are keeping caseloads at a manageable level and providing therapy for therapists via peer supervision.
As this conversation continues, it will be interesting to see how those systems worked, and to what degree they did not, at Fort Hood.
At the Vicarious Trauma Institute, we treat Mental Health professionals dealing with the trauma of war and combat in our military. The ordeal at Fort Hood invoved a professional helper who was certainly traumatized by the nature of his work. This vicarious trauma became exacerbated when he was deployed to stand against his own. Hasan must have been in a primitive, limbic trauma response of fight or flight. In his desparation, he chose fight. We must consider the impact that vicarious trauma had on the event at Fort Hood. We are at risk to see more of the same. We need to compassionately treat our helpers, particularly in the military. These people are struggling and those around them face certain danger.
ReplyDeleteDr. Ellie Izzo
Twenty years ago, when in graduate school, there was a great deal of hype as to "why" would a man kill his wife. Growing up in an Irish/Catholic home that was extremely controlling,ruled by guilt and shame, I watched my parents go at it but their devotion to one another never faltered. With this disparity in mind, I was fortunate enough to have mentors who could set the stage to my research. As a result, I was able to dissect the life-spans of 12 men who killed their partners, some families, and compared my results with 42 men who committed act of anger-based aggression within their communities. To know why, I encourage you to read: http://dare2discover.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteDr. Ellie--Thanks so much for your comment. I completely agree with you about having more compassion for those clinicians in the military, but I fear few will acknowledge the need to do so.
ReplyDeleteHey Peter, I am going to make a point to read your research...and thanks so much for the comment.
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