Jane Doe
After reading the case-study of Juan Hernandez it was difficult to erase the thoughts in my head of the abuse that this little boy was suffering at the hands of his own father. It not only disgusted me, but made me angry. My natural response, had I been hearing something like this would be to be outraged and do whatever needed to be done to get Jorge Hernandez locked away so that he could never harm this innocent little boy or his sister again, or any other innocent child for that matter. Sadly, I also became convinced that this little boy would be a lost cause after experiencing such trauma that he would likely repeat these types of abusive behavior patterns in his future as well. Needless to say, I recognize that these feelings are not one’s that would be suitable to professional interaction with the children, caregivers, and other professional’s working on the case, which informs me that some self-care strategies are important to consider for my personal and professional well-being when dealing with the possible vicarious trauma from hearing Juan’s story. The following discussion will examine possible self-care strategies that I would incorporate to address the intense reactions and possible vicarious trauma that I might experience as a result of handling Juan’s case.
Vicarious Trauma
The Constructivist Self Development Theory would describe the response as a vicarious trauma if I were the counselor in this position due to the firsthand experience of seeing this little boy masturbate, which is uncomfortable and knowing the circumstances of his father’s sexual abuse would be hard to handle. My beliefs in what is appropriate loving behavior between a father and son or any parent and child do not fit into the schema presented here in the case of Juan Hernandez and his father Jorge. It may become difficult for me to continue forward with the care of this child if I do not set aside my anger and disgust at what this poor child has been through. Going home night after night after hearing Juan’s story, has led to a disturbance in sleep and created a distrust of society.
My frame of reference as a new practitioner has kept me limited in my exposure to hands on cases like Juan’s, which makes this first incident and exposure quite traumatizing. It is obvious that I need to expand my self-capacities as a practitioner to separate what I hear and see at work with my personal life. Allowing too much of myself to become engaged emotionally will make me less useful at work and in my own affairs. According to Maschi & Brown (2010), “The challenge for practitioners to prevent or remediate VT effects is to maintain the integration and interconnectedness of the different parts of memory and perception so that disconnection or dissociation does not occur.” By awareness of these feelings, memories, and visuals that pass through my mind, I would learn to catch them before they interfere in my functionality.
“Unique features of sexual abuse treatment that contribute to the development of vicarious traumatization include listening empathically as survivors share graphic details of their victimization experiences and the intensity of their pain “(McCann & Pearlman, 1990; Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995; Sexton, 1999; Way, I., VanDeusen, Martin, Applegate, & Jandle, 2004, p.50). It is easy to understand that the practitioner who is exposed to this type of sexual abuse of a young child may feel a slew of emotions, which is what confirms that there is some vicarious trauma that has occurred. Before it interferes further it is good to gain awareness early enough to take action towards self-care to minimize any damage the VT could have on my profession.
Spiritual Self-Care
After the negatives effects of VT occur, the loss of security and trust in the community would be difficult to manage in both the personal and professional spheres. One useful option of self-care that I may utilize is spiritual self-care that can help me make better sense of my role and position in Juan’s life and what I need to do to separate my emotions with my work. Obviously I want to remain empathetic and fully useful in my sessions with the Hernandez family, but it should not have the power to disrupt who I am and how I function in life. “In a spiritual clinical practice while working with trauma, there is a clear distinction between “taking in” what the client is experiencing and ‘taking on’ the client’s experience” (Dombo & Gray, 2013, p.92).
Whether or not my work environment is a spiritual clinic is not necessarily the important factor here, but using the methods that a spiritual clinic might practice would be extremely helpful in this case and future cases where VT or burn-out might occur. One of the ways to incorporate some spiritual self-care would be to take on the practice of meditation so that I could learn how to keep serene and balance in situations that have happened that I cannot change. By allowing myself to keep whole and complete in my well-being I will be of much greater use to those who have actually been victims of these horrible traumas. Remaining mindful of my own sense of peace is incredibly important to self-care as to limit the degree to which I may experience VT (Dombo & Gray, 2013).
Conclusion
Many types of self-care methods are available to the practitioner, and depending on the type of work, personality, and background of the individual the methods that are most useful may differ. In my case with Juan, I learned that hearing about a three year old child experience the horrific sexual abuse as a result of his own biological father’s personal traumas upset me further when I saw what it had done to this little boy’s behavior. Understanding the negative effects of the vicarious trauma would allow me to find that meditation would be a very helpful method of spiritual self-care that I could incorporate into my daily life and maybe even on breaks during work. The quiet and peace that I experience when meditating is a tool that would be extremely helpful to me in moments because it harmonizing my internal chaos to be in better sync with my environment. Having this ability to exercise these methods during my sessions would not only be helpful in protecting myself from the psychological damage that may occur, but it could also improve my ability to connect with the clients. Having a serene manner about me will allow me to create a safe space for the people that I treat, especially the young one’s like Juan who initially came in extremely scared, timid, and uncomfortable. In conclusion, it is important that some type of self-care method is considered by any individual planning to go in to working with the public on social issues.
References
Dombo, E. A., & Gray, C. (2013). Engaging spirituality in addressing vicarious trauma in
clinical social workers: A self-care model. Social Work and Christianity, 40(1), 89-104.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315739030?accountid=458
Maschi, T., & Brown, D. (2010). Professional self-care and prevention of secondary trauma. In
N.B. Web (Ed.). Helping bereaved children: A handbook for practitioners (4th ed.). New
York: Guilford Press (pp. 335-35).
Way, I., VanDeusen, K.M., Martin, G., Applegate, B., & Jandle, D. (2004, January). Vicarious
Trauma A Comparison of Clinicians Who Treat Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Sexual
Offenders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19(1), 49-71. Sage.
