[2] In vicarious trauma, the therapist experiences a profound worldview change and is permanently altered by empathetic bonding with a client.
It has been suggested that traumatization occurs when one's view of the world, or a feeling of safety, is shattered by hearing about the experiences of a client.
[15] Anything that interferes with a helper's ability to fulfill his or her responsibility to assist traumatized clients can contribute to vicarious trauma.
Batson and his colleagues have conducted research that might aid trauma helpers in managing empathic connection constructively.
Aspects of VT that would need to be measured for a full assessment include self-capacities, ego resources, frame of reference (identity, world view, and spirituality), psychological needs, and trauma symptoms.
A second set of approaches can be grouped as transforming strategies, which aim to help workers create community and find meaning through the work.
[47][48][49] Harvard Business Review, in a case study of traumatization, noted the importance of an organizational culture which values social workers and counselors.
Girls experience VT more than boys, and socioeconomic status and race have been found to predict vicarious trauma symptoms.
Factors that predict vicarious-trauma severity include professional trauma, level of peer supervision, population served by the clinician,[52] defense mechanisms of the therapist,[53] emotional coping strategies, and social-support availability.
Several studies have found that foster parents experience vicarious trauma, burnout and compassion fatigue, and report emotional disengagement (a common symptom of VT) as a coping strategy.