Effective Ways Social Workers Respond to Secondary Trauma

Due to the traumatic material of their clients, social workers are often faced with symptoms of secondary trauma. Symptoms of secondary trauma can have an impact on a social worker's ability to form therapeutic relationships with their clients as well as interfere with their personal life. This qualitative study of six social workers, examines the ways that social workers effectively respond to the effects of secondary trauma. The findings of this study found that supervision, the importance of leaving work at work, spending time with family and friends, talking with colleagues, and extra support of agencies helped social workers respond to secondary trauma