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Highlighted Draft 1
Highlighted Draft 1
1. What is your research question? Do you have any secondary research questions?
My research question is my title: “How Prevalent is Secondary Trauma in Therapists?” I think a secondary research
question could be: “Why is secondary trauma not widely talked about online?”
2. What are your methods? How will these methods allow you to get an answer, at least a partial answer, to your research
question(s)?
My method is searching the r/therapists subreddit for commenters (specifically therapists) talking about their experiences
with secondary trauma. I use these comments to analyze supposedly why people aren’t talking about secondary trauma
online, as well as to see how prevalent it is. This in itself is telling of the prevalence of it. If people are ashamed to talk
about it, or aren’t comfortable in communicating about their emotions, this in itself brings about a higher risk of secondary
trauma. Making it a more prevalent issue, inadvertently.
3. What are your preliminary findings (what are you finding in comments?) (how well can you now answer your research question ?)?
You may not have all of your findings/your research question fully answered--what more do you need to answer it and finish the
study so you can focus on writing?
When looking at comments, I’m finding them sparsely interacted with and in more instances than not – full of hesitance
from the user. These leave me able to answer my research question fairly alright, though only through presumed
assumptions and not certainties. I don’t have a solid conclusive statement in this draft, I will admit that because I wrote it
all in one sitting – I gave up toward the end and just wrote whatever to reach word count. What I added in the previous
question will be reworded into a conclusive statement about answering my research question. I don’t believe I need to
collect anymore outside information at this time.
Given your question, methods, and preliminary findings, what is your paper doing? Do you see yourself as playing a mediator role,
introducing readers to multiple viewpoints? Or, are you moreso advocating and/or arguing for a position?
I would say advocating/arguing for a position. I aim to answer “how prevalent is secondary trauma in therapists,” and I
argue that by stating that because people don’t talk about it online – and not communicating can put someone at higher
risk of secondary trauma – it should be even more prevalent than it is.
How well do you feel you are doing? Are you bringing in enough sources? Are you using sources to establish background, back u p
key claims, and analyze comments?
I feel like I’m doing alright. Mentally, I feel as though I have a clear path to follow for the rest of this paper. I also fe el like I
have brought in enough primary sources and comments. I was wondering, because it says “6-8 sources” on the page to
submit the project, how do you want me to cite the comments I gather? I’m currently citing them all individually, which
leads to more sources than the required list states. I feel like I am also using my sources to establish a background of
secondary trauma as well as using them to back up my claims and further analyze my gathered comments.
Highlight Key:
Research Question(s), Method, Key Findings
Benson 2
Quinn Benson
Dr. Bergholtz
Composition II
25 February 2024
avoidance, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and insomnia amongst others. This can cause
numerous issues between therapist and client. If the therapist develops these symptoms from
experiencing secondary trauma, it could affect the quality of their work. This is extremely
important as therapists work with people who have poor mental health, and if they don’t get the
appropriate help, or get help from someone with more cynical and depressing views, their mental
health won’t get any better. Fortunately, there are numerous precursors to acquiring secondary
trauma: poor mental health, unhealed past traumatic experiences, lack of a support system,
being younger, and even less time practicing self care (Sodeke-Gregson). Luckily there are many
ways to prevent or lower the risk of getting secondary trauma: work-life balance, socializing,
being in nature, practicing physical self-care, and going to therapy (Hesse). Unfortunately there
is a lack of awareness about this phenomenon – even though a large number of therapists, about
seventy percent, are at high risk for contracting secondary trauma (Sodeke-Gregson). This is
especially obvious in online spaces for therapists. Specifically, the subreddit r/Therapists. There
is an extreme lack of mentions about secondary trauma, or vicarious trauma, by name. After
searching for secondary trauma within the subreddit, I was able to find roughly nine comments
Benson 3
after scrolling for numerous minutes. In this paper, I aim to identify the reasoning behind why
secondary trauma isn’t discussed more frequently in online spaces for therapists, and to mention
preventative measures along with coping skills on personal as well as organizational levels when
2. Methods
The online community I used was the subreddit r/Therapists. As of writing this, there are Commented [3]: This paragraph is me explaining wher
I am sourcing my primary comments from and how the
subreddit works so the readers gain an understanding
ninety-seven thousand members. This subreddit only allows mental health professionals – of it. This a part of my method so it is included in this
subsection. Mosly preliminary stuff to the actual
therapists and people with similar jobs – or students in the process of becoming a professional to method though.
post here. Though, it is all anonymous posting. There is a system Reddit uses in place of likes
and dislikes. Instead of likes, users can “upvote” a comment or post to make it be seen by more
individuals, and there are “downvotes” that do the opposite. There are rules against fighting,
anti-therapy talk, and where to post about burnout. A moderator bot – AutoModerator – makes a
post every week titled “Weekly burnout check in” where therapists or students can comment on
their feelings of burnout or stress within their job (MattersOfInterest). However, there are posts
that mention burnout and other distressing feelings outside of this post. Those posts, specifically
ones that mention vicarious trauma or secondary trauma are where I am collecting my data. This
is because the specific burnout thread weekly doesn’t mention secondary trauma, and instead
I was able to find posts about secondary trauma within this subreddit through the search Commented [4]: This paragraph details how I found
comments as well as how I aim to analyze the
comments I found. Placed in the section "Methods"
bar feature, and searched the terms “secondary trauma” or “vicarious trauma” specifically. Using because it is my method.
this feature I have been able to find two posts that speak specifically about their experience with
secondary trauma, or worries that they may have secondary trauma themselves, and a post that
Benson 4
opens up discussion for therapists to talk about their experiences with secondary trauma. I was
able to model my analysis after the “‘Real Men Grill Vegetables, Not Dead Animals’: Discourse
Representations of Men in an Online Vegan Community” article. In the article the authors collect
data and analyze it based on a set criteria (Brookes, Małgorzata). The criteria I am assessing the
data on is: time of post and responses to post (upvotes, downvotes, and/or comments). I aimed to
use these posts and chosen criteria to identify a reasoning for the seeming lack of awareness
about this issue that therapists have, as well as to comment on coping and prevention skills.
When looking into this, I originally assumed it would be a frequently discussed topic Commented [5]: This short paragraph is the
introduction to my first source, as well as the basic
introduction to the data and results section.
considering the severity of the symptoms. Shockingly, I was only able to find a few responses
that discuss one's personal issues with secondary trauma. The first post I was able to find was
written by ENgeek.
“Hey gang, I’m really hesitant to post this due to my own toxic masculinity, but I think
I’m struggling with my secondary trauma. I used to do TFCBT cases for the department
of children’s services. I left a few months ago due to stress and the 24/7 schedule. My
new job is way more chill, but I’m still struggling with nightmares over what I saw and
heard. It was literally every night this week. I don’t have intrusive thoughts or panic
attacks, [it’s the] dreams [that] are getting in my way. I haven’t staffed with anyone (or
even mentioned this at all) because... reasons. Doctors are the worst patients, so I know
better than to just trust my own judgment that this will pass. Is it time to talk to
someone?” (ENgeek).
Benson 5
This post is five years old, with thirty-one upvotes and eleven comments. Considering the Commented [6]: This paragraph is me anazlying the
comment as well as taking a stance on it to fit my
research question. This is one of the big "answers" to
subreddit is still currently active and posts are frequent, this is an old post. When looking at other my research question that help formulate my reasoning
in its entirety.
posts on the subreddit, this post has very little engagement as well (MattersOfInterest). The
commenter mentions his own issues with toxic masculinity, as well as his symptoms of
secondary trauma specifically. ENgeek mentions specifically that he was hesitant to post because
of his “own toxic masculinity” as well as other unspecified reasons for not mentioning this to
people in his own personal life. Anastasia Pollock, a licensed therapist, theorizes the reasoning
behind people mentioning their own experiences with secondary trauma. “I think that as
therapists, we are just as guilty of holding ourselves to a ‘higher standard’” (Pollock). Looking
at the sentence “doctors are the worst patients,” I am inclined to believe that he is holding
himself to a higher standard as a patient – assuming he should be better than he is. If that is to be
held as truth, then I would also assume he is hesitant to comment on his experience for the same
reason. ENgeek assumes that as a therapist he should be better and not struggle with this
secondary trauma, even though a large number of therapists experience the same thing (Sodeke-
Gregson).
“I wanted to reach out and see whether or not I need to reach out to work with someone
on some vicarious trauma that I might have picked up along the way as part of my work
as a therapist. I’ll preface this all by saying that whenever I’ve gone to workshops or
heard people talk about vicarious trauma, secondary PTSD, etc. I never felt like it was
something that I [had experienced] personally. However, during a recent training, the
facilitator made a comment that really resonated with me and was the first time I had ever
thought I might need to work with someone on some of my own vicarious trauma. The
thing that grabbed my attention was when the facilitator mentioned times when you
Benson 6
might struggle with issues related to concentrating, staying on task, or losing your train of
thought. This I had experienced a little bit lately. And I say this as someone who has
never been diagnosed with ADHD, or really struggled with the symptoms in the past. All
This post is two years old with thirteen upvotes and nine comments. This unknown Commented [7]: This paragraph is me anazlying the
comment as well as taking a stance on it to fit my
research question. This is used to show the differences
commenter is asking for advice on whether they should seek help for secondary trauma. They between person to person and how they'd react to a
certain issue in their live. This also serves as me
comment on symptoms of secondary trauma and focus on their experience and specific commenting on how having a positive workplace is
seen to reduce risk for secondary trauma, and is
likely the reason the commentary is so open to
symptoms. In contrast to the previous extract, this user seems to have zero hesitancy for communicate about it. I'm going to move this paragraph
down towards the end of the section to fit into me
beginning to talk about coping mechanisms and
communicating about their secondary trauma. This could be for a multitude of reasons, but due blend it into answering how prevalent secondary
trauma is.
to the poster talking about attending various workshops and training, I would assume it is
because of their workplace. The article “Vicarious Trauma, Secondary Traumatic Stress or
Simply Burnout? Effect of Trauma Therapy on Mental Health Professionals” mentions that a lot
of therapists who are noted to have secondary trauma also have issues within their workplace
(Devilly, Grant et al.). I believe that the lack of hesitancy or worry about talking about their
secondary trauma comes from the workplace discussing the issue regularly.
“After hearing an absolutely horrific tale of abuse that I will never repeat, I had intrusive
thoughts that included visuals of what I imagined the abuse looked like (or one major part
of it at least). I avoided all triggers that reminded me of it which was impossible and
heartbreaking for the reason that a supportive figure in my daily life was a trigger. I had
these sort of fake flashbacks intensely for 6 months or so. It started to get better but I still
feel sick when I'm reminded of it and have occasional intrusive thoughts since, but I no
longer need to avoid triggers. This originally happened 3 years ago. I did not seek any
help and promised myself to never talk about it because I did not want to transfer the
Benson 7
horrific image to anyone else's brain so I waited it out on my own. That's what I went
through that I'd call vicarious trauma. ETA the intrusive images started as multiple times
a day, almost constant and consuming my thoughts. Then it dwindled to several times a
week and continued to weaken from there. I did my best to shake the images out. They do
reappear at times like right now as I write about it but usually not without a trigger, so
maybe once or twice every few months. Just to give context to frequency.” (Its_all-good)
This comment from by iwantyour99dreams from a year ago is a part of a larger comment Commented [8]: This paragraph is me anazlying the
comment as well as taking a stance on it to fit my
research question. This is one of the big "answers" to
thread originally posted by Its_all-good. The poster’s comment has 12 upvotes, and the original my research question that help formulate my reasoning
in its entirety.
post has 25. This commenter states they “did not seek any help and promised myself to never
talk about it because I did not want to transfer the horrific image to anyone else's brain so I
waited it out on my own” as well as stating that their experience with secondary trauma was
three years old at time of posting. From their wording, it can be inferred that the poster struggles
with feelings of guilt in their life, which leads to them not wanting to put their problems onto
other people. This is something that therapists regularly struggle with (Pollock). Feelings of guilt
tend to come from poor mental health, which is an indicator for someone being susceptible to
secondary trauma (Smith). This feeling of guilt could be another reason why therapist’s aren't
outside of work in a way which would interfere with being fully present in my real life. I
am really struggling right now with transference/ countertransference with a certain client
of mine and I feel more attached to him than others; sometimes it feels like our sessions
are moving a plot forward like in a TV show that [is] ultimately not going to end well. He
has horrific trauma and I relate to him in a way thats not appropriate to self disclose,
Benson 8
especially because it's so raw for him. But when he talks about his experiences I find my
own anxiety, hypervigilance and "stuff" getting pulled up after the sessions. In our
sessions I have to fight against the urge to take care of him and instead focus on how to
empower him. And after those particular sessions where he really gets honest, vulnerable
and cries like a kid I have to pull it together to be the rock to his wave.” (Its_all-good).
This comment from by tiessa73 from a year ago is a part of a larger comment thread Commented [9]: This paragraph is me anazlying the
comment as well as taking a stance on it to fit my
research question. This is one of the big "answers" to
originally posted by Its_all-good. The poster’s comment has 21 upvotes, and the original post has my research question that help formulate my reasoning
in its entirety. After this paragraph I will move the
25. This user mentions struggling with their own mental health issues – anxiety and previously mentioned section here. I feel they flow
together better and I would be able to establish a train
of thought about how a good workplace can be helpful
hypervigilance – after sessions with a specific client. Struggling with mental health issues while to lower the risk, it by itself is not enough to enitrely
lower the risk of secondary trauma. This can blend
into me talking about secondary trauma's prevalence
also talking to clients who struggle with the same mental health issues is a direct cause for through people potneitally only having one aspect of
coping in their lives which brings them to more risk.
secondary trauma (Smith). This user also mentions in a reply to themself that they are “definitely
discussing this one in supervision” (Its_all-good). This shows that despite the workplace having
staff that the user can go to for issues with secondary trauma, mental health issues alone are the
precursor for this user. However, the user is able to communicate about their issues with
secondary trauma.
Outside of these comments, and when scrolling through the larger subreddit as a whole, I Commented [10]: This paragraph is supposed to act
as a summary of the data foundings, as well as
commenting on coping mechanisms for secondary
was unable to find more examples of secondary trauma in therapists from personal experiences. trauma and how they can help prevent it. It needs to be
reworked.
This could be for a myriad of reasons, but I propose that because of the examples given that the
main reason for lack of posts is therapists holding themselves to a higher standard and
neglecting their own mental health struggles as well as feeling guilty for asking for help if they
need it (Pollock). This goes directly against everything that people use to cope with secondary
trauma, or prevent it in the first place. Amy Hesse states numerous personal coping mechanisms
in her article: work-life balance, physical self-care, being in nature, spirituality, socializing,
Benson 9
therapy, and normalization of the occurrence of secondary trauma (Hesse). She also mentions
things organizations can do to help their therapists: providing safe spaces at the place of work
4. Reflection
This paper shows that the reactions to secondary trauma are significantly more nuanced Commented [11]: This paragraph is my reflection on
the paper. It's supposed to reflect on the "answer" I
found to my question, as well as comment on any
than if they communicate about it openly or not. Especially considering that every individual discrepancies or failures of my method. It needs to be
reworked to actually answer my main research
experiences different symptoms and levels of severity. These comments do show the different question and not just secondary question.
levels of severity in secondary trauma that therapists face and what it could potentially do to their
clients. Specifically commenter tiessa73 who shows how her own mental health issues and issues
with secondary trauma are causing her to employ more effort than regular to talk with her client
successfully. More studies need to be conducted to see how aware therapists are about secondary
trauma in their own lives, and then even more to deduce what causes therapists to not talk about
their issues with secondary trauma. However, I do believe that I was able to pinpoint a specific
reasoning for lack of openness about secondary trauma in the therapists lives. Poor mental health
that presents as guilt or anxiety can cause people to isolate themselves when they are in need of
counseling, as well as factors like toxic masculinity that can halt masculine people specifically
from communicating with others about their struggles. I believe that if people were more open
about their experiences with their own mental health that topics such as secondary trauma
wouldn’t be so unknown, and people would be able to receive help before even becoming at risk
for secondary trauma in the first place. This can be done in numerous ways, but it starts on a
personal level by assessing one’s own mental health before choosing to work around people who
Works Cited
Brookes, Gavin, and Małgorzata Chałupnik. “‘Real Men Grill Vegetables, Not Dead
Devilly, Grant et al. “Vicarious Trauma, Secondary Traumatic Stress or Simply Burnout?
Effect of Trauma Therapy on Mental Health Professionals.” Australian & New Zealand
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1080/00048670902721079
https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/bsaj6c/secondary_trauma_question/
Hesse, A.R. “Secondary Trauma: How Working with Trauma Survivors Affects Therapists”.
Its_all-good. “What does vicarious trauma feel like?” Reddit, R/Therapists, 2023.
https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/xter9a/what_does_vicarious_trauma_feel_like/
www.goodtherapy.org/blog/secondary-trauma-therapists-guide-0814135.
Smith, Annemarie J M et al. “How therapists cope with clients' traumatic experiences.”
Torture : quarterly journal on rehabilitation of torture victims and prevention of torture, vol.
traumatic stress in UK therapists who work with adult trauma clients.” European Journal of
https://www.reddit.com/r/therapists/comments/u0w56d/vicarious_trauma/