Stress Management Program for Employees Exposed to Vicarious Trauma

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

Research has consistently demonstrated that professionals who work in human service occupations are impacted by the traumatic experiences of those they serve. Studies have repeatedly shown that secondary traumatic stress is a normal and inevitable consequence of work that involves human suffering. Recent research on probation employees suggests challenging caseload events, officer victimization, and longevity were associated with higher reports of traumatic stress and burnout. In 2011, Maricopa County was the first probation department to develop an employee stress management program that specifically targets the impact of vicarious trauma. The program measures the frequency of incidents and severity of symptoms in staff and uses the data outcome to guide program content. In addition, the training curriculum offers protective coping strategies to better prepare staff for the emotional challenges of probation work. To date, 368 employees have received stress management training, and program evaluations suggest that it is well received. Eighty-six percent of those employees reported that they had experienced three or more symptoms of vicarious trauma and 68% indicated that their current stress level was unsustainable without significant costs to their bodies. These results illustrate the prevalence of impact and the need to address traumatic stress in community corrections.