Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization (Norton Professional Books

by Karen W. Saakvitne, Laurie Anne Pearlman

This workbook provides tools for self-assessment, guidelines and activities for addressing vicarious traumatization, and exercises to use with groups of helpers. In your profession, do you help or work with people who have been traumatized? Do you listen to stories of abuse, suffering, or trauma from your clients every day? If so, you know it is important to hear and bear witness to trauma survivors’ experiences and not be changed. You know firsthand the personal cost of the work you do and the struggle to make sense of powerful, often painful, feelings and altered beliefs. This transformation of a helper’s inner experience is called vicarious traumatization (VT); it is an inescapable effect of trauma work. Transforming the Pain is the first workbook to address VT. It is designed to take care of the helper – to help you asses, address, and transform your own VT.

Authors Karen W. Saakvitne and Laurie Anne Pearlman define and describesthe VT process and offer reassurance that you are not alone with these painful experiences. The book includes self-assessment worksheets, and guidelines and specific exercises for addressing VT and improving self-care. It is designed to be used by a wide range of professionals and paraprofessionals, including, but not limited to, therapists, police, medical personnel, crisis workers, and clergy.

After working with Transforming the Pain , you will find that you have a new awareness of the ways your work affects your life as well as new skills and tools for improving your emotional well-being.

Genres: Psychology, Counselling

Paperback

First published October 17, 1996

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great foundational text and workbook on vicarious traumatization. I'm waiting to have the opportunity to do some of the exercises in a group setting. Some of them I could do on my own, but feel like it would be less meaningful without the support and interaction of colleagues.

[Rachel Croce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to do with colleagues who work in the same field. I also think specific interventions can be used individually in ways to cope with stress and trauma. The book is a bit outdated and I found myself wondering what research findings might be included had they published a new edition.

[Catherine Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful book even for "lay" people who are traumatised by witnessing the trauma and suffering of others.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful and enlightening. Explained a lot and helped reframe vicarious traumatization