Vicarious Trauma – An Example of How It Can Affect You.

Vicarious trauma, also known as secondary traumatic stress, is the emotional and psychological impact of working with, or hearing about, the traumatic experiences of others.

Working within the Personal Injury Team, initially as a secretary and more recently a legal support assistant, I have always been exposed to and aware of the traumatic life changing injuries some people have sustained, this includes detailed accounts of how the accident happened and the impact on the person’s life.

I recently attended a very interesting Paediatric Spinal Injuries conference. The first speaker of the day had the greatest impact on me. He was a gentleman who had suffered a spinal injury as a teenager after diving into the shallow end of a swimming pool. Hearing the details of this catastrophic injury and considering the job I do, it massively affected me.

Just a few weeks later I was on a family holiday with my young grandchildren. They were happily enjoying time in the pool, oblivious to any danger and were jumping in and screaming with laughter as daddy threw them up and down in the water.

With the story of the life changing pool injury still very fresh in my mind, I found it difficult to fully relax and not behave like the ‘fun police’ while I watched on, heart in my mouth, telling them ‘be careful’ and ‘mind what you are doing’!

I do understand that the chances of a serious injury occurring are slim, however, if someone is exposed to such a trauma, there is support available and people should seek help by contacting us.

Lanyon Bowdler recognise that the very nature of some of the legal work we do, means we can be affected, and the firm provides support and training in relation to vicarious trauma.

If you have suffered an injury or been affected by a traumatic situation contact our expert Personal Injury Team for help and advice.