For Clinical Psychologists When Responding to Acute Community Trauma

The emotional weight of witnessing mass suffering is significant. During this crucial stage of disaster response, it's essential to professionally care for your own well-being. The tips below are based on Trauma-Informed Care principles for Providers, designed to reduce Secondary Traumatic Stress and burnout.

I. Clinical Boundaries & Containment

1. Master controlled empathy to manage compassion fatigue: employ cognitive strategies like saying, "This is their pain, I can hold it without owning it," or visualize a protective barrier. Focus on connecting with the client's resilience and coping skills, but not just their suffering.

2. Clarify your boundaries to yourself before meeting clients: clearly stating your professional role and its limits (e.g., "I am here for emotional stabilisation, not disaster recovery logistics"). Doing so is especially important in chaotic settings to prevent feelings of ineffectiveness.

3. Practice Pacing and Emotional Regulation: Control the pace and intensity of traumatic material shared in sessions. Prioritise stabilisation and client resource-building before engaging in deep processing of acute memories (which may not be suitable in terms of settings, timing, and the immediate needs of the clients). Take scheduled micro-breaks to manage your own arousal.

II. Supervision & Peer Support

1. Seek Mandatory Debriefing: Always participate in formal debriefings or clinical supervision. Use this time to process and verbalise the emotional aspects of your cases. Supervision provides an external perspective, helping to ensure the client's trauma narrative does not distort your personal perception.

2. Building your Buddy System: Work in pairs or small teams whenever possible. This is a core disaster-response strategy. Use your colleagues and trusted friends to monitor each other's stress, workload, and basic needs such as sleep and hydration—peer support is your most vigorous defence.

3. Review your cognitive distortions: Trauma work may cause cynicism, pessimism, and a decline in faith in humanity. Engage in peer support to openly discuss these feelings and focus on positively reframing small successes in the community's recovery process.

III.  Self-Care as an Ethical Imperative

1. Strict Disconnection Ritual: Set clear boundaries between work and personal life. After finishing your shift, perform a transition activity—such as changing clothes, listening to a designated playlist, taking a short mindfulness walk, or enjoying a delicious meal—to signal to your brain that your role as a counsellor has ended.

2. Prioritise physical health: set fixed times for sleep, healthy food, and activity (even a 15-minute walk). A healthy body is the basis for a resilient mind.

3. Understand Your Professional Quality of Life: Recognise signs of secondary traumatic stress, such as intrusive thoughts and hyperarousal, as well as burnout indicators like exhaustion and decreased effectiveness. Consider consulting a therapist or seeking external advice if your work affects your self-esteem, relationships, or overall well-being. Remember, self-care is a professional skill, not a selfish act.

IV.  When Your Own History is Triggered

Working with trauma survivors can heighten the risk of developing Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), especially for professionals who have their own history of trauma. A client’s story might unexpectedly trigger your unresolved past experiences.

1. Self-Awareness & Distancing: If you experience a sudden, intense emotional surge—such as fear, anger, or grief—that seems excessive compared to the client's current emotion, identify it as a possible trigger. Perform a quick mental review: "My client is feeling X, but I am feeling Y. Y reflects my own history." This mental distinction helps you maintain a strong clinical presence.

2. Grounding & Reorientation: If you feel disoriented, overwhelmed, or begin to dissociate, promptly use a gentle, quiet grounding technique such as pressing your feet firmly into the floor, noticing five safe objects in the room, or silently stating your current location and the year. This helps you quickly reorient to the present and safety.

3. Referral: If a client's issue repeatedly triggers your most sensitive, unresolved personal memories, do not proceed without your own professional support. Address this concern promptly in supervision. During the acute phase, it may be ethically required to pace the client's work or request a temporary case reassignment to safeguard both yourself and the client.

Your dedication and presence are invaluable. Remember, you are also a human deserving the same compassion you show others.