Secondary traumatic stress is not uncommon for educators who work with traumatized children. Teachers, principals, and school staff members who deal with these children develop their own symptoms of traumatic stress. This is called secondary traumatic stress (STS). Other names for secondary traumatic stress are compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
Per The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the first-hand trauma experiences of another.
Most don’t know that about half of American school children suffer or experienced some form of trauma from abuse, neglect, or violence. This statistic crosses ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic lines. In response to the shock, educators take on the role of counselor or social worker to support the emotional healing of the students. Teachers are trained to help the academic growth of students, not necessarily their social-emotional needs.
If we want success for our students and good health and success for our educators, we must begin to acknowledge the effects of secondary traumatic stress on our staff members. Let’s take a closer look at the risk factors, signs, and management of secondary traumatic stress.
Risk Factors and Causes
School administrators, classroom teachers, and all staff members who work with traumatized students can benefit from learning the risk factors and causes of compassion fatigue. Depending on an individual’s circumstances, he or she may be more susceptible to secondary traumatic stress.
The first personal exposure to a traumatic event may preclude one to suffering from secondary traumatic stress. How one reacts or copes with his own reaction to trauma. Many people have some type of traumatic experience that happened at some point in their lives. Frequently, many will not seek counseling or even recognize the extent of their personal or emotional wounds.
Another risk factor or cause is direct contact with children’s traumatic stories. Every day, children enter school buildings with stories about neglect, violence, and other horrible things happening in their lives. School staff members must report any type of abuse, so there is a heightened alert among educators. They listen and observe what children live through and try to help with limited resources or training.
A third risk factor of secondary traumatic stress is many educators help others and neglect themselves. This is prevalent among teachers. School employees are nurturers and caretakers for students, parents, and community members. At some point, educators have no time or energy to take care of themselves.
Signs of Secondary Traumatic Stress
Recognizing the effects of secondary traumatic stress on educators means that one must know the signs. Here are seven signs of compassion fatigue or STS.
- Emotional – feeling numb, detached, overwhelmed or hopeless
- Physical – low energy or fatigued
- Behavioral – changing your routine or engaging in self-destructive behavior
- Professional – low performance or low morale
- Cognitive – confused, can’t focus or make decisions
- Spiritual – questioning the meaning of life or lack of self-satisfaction
- Interpersonal – physically or emotional withdrawing from co-workers and friends
Managing Secondary Traumatic Stress
The first area of managing secondary traumatic stress is awareness. Know that it exists in our schools and among the educators in the building. Secondly, school administrators need to admit the existence of compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma among teachers and staff members. Both teaching and administration can be isolating and lonely. So school leaders must consider ways to show appreciation privately and publically for staff members. Lastly, express to staff members that experiencing work-related trauma isn’t a weakness and it’s okay to seek support.
Creating a peer group is an additional way to manage the effects of secondary traumatic stress on educators. Peer support groups are not difficult or costly to start. Create a space once per month or even once per week where teachers can come together to check in for emotional support. Remember, the peer support group must be a safe space at all times.
Take a school-wide approach and become a trauma-informed school. It requires training of all staff and making social-emotional learning a priority. Organizations and agencies exist to support schools in professional development and implementation of school-wide social-emotional programs.