LSB July 2022 LR
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WELLBEING & RESILIENCE<br />
and observe” 4 . The greater our exposure<br />
to traumatic material, the greater our risk<br />
of experiencing VT.<br />
What does VT look like?<br />
Common signs include:<br />
• Avoiding certain files or clients<br />
• Engaging in risk-taking behaviour<br />
• Insomnia<br />
• Withdrawing from others<br />
• Nightmares<br />
• Fear about safety of self or others<br />
• Irritability<br />
• Emotional numbness.<br />
It can lead to long-term issues<br />
including changes to our core beliefs about<br />
ourselves, others and the world around us. 5<br />
What are some ways we can we change<br />
our work environment to reduce the<br />
risk and impact of VT?<br />
• Limit the frequency of exposure to<br />
traumatised clients where possible<br />
• Implement systems and procedures for<br />
dealing with trauma in the workplace<br />
• Provide formal training in dealing with<br />
trauma survivors<br />
• Establish a culture which encourages<br />
debriefing in an emotionally honest<br />
manner<br />
• Mark files with a content warnings and<br />
restrict access<br />
• Set limits on how much time is spent<br />
working on a file at a time and take<br />
breaks<br />
• Avoid taking such files home and<br />
where possible create physical<br />
boundaries in the hope that this creates<br />
some mental space from the content<br />
when engaging in other activities 6<br />
Endnotes<br />
1 [<strong>2022</strong>] HCA 12.<br />
2 Koehler v Cerebos (Australia) Ltd (2005) 222 C<strong>LR</strong> 44.<br />
3 Pearlman and Caringi, 2009, 202-203 from<br />
https://professionals.blueknot.org.au/<br />
supervision-and-practice/.<br />
4 https://nswbar.asn.au/docs/webdocs/<br />
vicarious.pdf<br />
5 https://nswbar.asn.au/docs/webdocs/<br />
vicarious.pdf<br />
6 https://nswbar.asn.au/docs/webdocs/<br />
vicarious.pdf<br />
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