This May we are celebrating the National Mental Health Month with the purpose of raising awareness of behavioral health issues reducing the stigma that has always been around emotional wellbeing. As youth defenders, you are probably the last hope to youth who find themselves lost in the legal system. Your role demands not only legal expertise but also exposure to traumatic experiences that might require a high level of empathy and resilience. However, the intense emotional and psychological toll of this work can lead to secondary trauma and other mental health challenges. It is crucial to understand the implications of working with trauma-exposed clients and adopt strategies to maintain your well-being while continuing to advocate for those whose voices might be silenced at home and in the courtroom.
Topics such as social injustice and inequality are often discussed in different settings, but what’s not commonly discussed are the frontline workers behind these battles… Youth defenders. Caseloads, legal system obstacles, and interaction with judges, prosecutors, clients, and their family are enough stressors to trigger unhealthy behaviors. Aside from being a legal professional you might also be a mother, father, brother, sister. friend... your environment is directly affected by your response to stress and work balance.
What is Secondary Trauma or Secondary Traumatic Stress?
We can define STS as the natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other-the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person (Figley, 1993a).
Emotional Symptoms: Anxiety, irritability, or sense of helplessness
Physical Symptoms: Chronic fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, or changes in appetite.
Psychological Symptoms: Suicide and intrusive thoughts, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness.
Being exposed to secondary trauma not only affects your brain but also your body. Addiction problems such as alcoholism or drug consumption can lead to psychological issues and noticeable physical changes (Zwisohn, Handey, Winters, and Reiter, 2019). Other terms that are related to Secondary Trauma (ST) and are often used interchangeably but have different and overlapping definitions are:
Vicarious Trauma (VT)
Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)
Compassion Fatigue (CF)
Critical Incident Stress (CIS)
If you want to learn more about the terms above, click here ⬅
Strategies for Coping and Maintaining Mental Health
Recognizing the potential for secondary trauma and other mental health impacts is the first step toward addressing them. It is advised to seek for professional help if you believe you might be experiencing the symptoms mentioned above as this is a limited short summary of information retrieved from relevant articles and websites online. In the meantime, here are some strategies that might help you in the process:
Self-Awareness and Reflection
Professional Support
Healthy Boundaries
Self-care practices
Peer / family support
Your dedication to advocating for youth is admirable but it is equally important to prioritize your mental health and well-being. By recognizing the signs of secondary trauma and other mental health impacts and implementing effective coping strategies, you can continue to provide exceptional defense for your clients while maintaining your own health and taking care of the people around you.
North Carolina Mental Health Resources
References
advocating-for-the-advocate-identifying-preventing-and-recovering-from-secondary-trauma.pdf (nacdl.org)
Secondary Traumatic Stress | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov)
What is Vicarious Trauma? | The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit | OVC (ojp.gov)
VICARIOUS TRAUMA IN PUBLIC SERVICE LAWYERING_ HOW CHRONIC EXPOSUR.pdf
⬇ UPCOMING TRAININGS ⬇
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