In a new article, Lawcare highlights a common issue for lawyers dealing with vulnerable clients.
Symptoms
Vicarious trauma can be experienced by lawyers as a result of working with vulnerable or traumatised clients. The term encompasses the wide range of potential negative effects of being immersed in trauma at work. These effects might include the following symptoms:
- Intrusive thoughts
- Panic attacks
- Sleep disturbance
- Memory loss
- Being unable to engage with client material or the news
- Finding it hard to concentrate
- Being irritable for no apparent reason
- A shift in how you view the world, seeing it as an inherently dark or dangerous place
- Burn-out – the inability to cope at home or at work
- Feeling guilty for experiencing these symptoms when it is your clients who have experienced the trauma.
- Feeling hopeless - this makes it particularly hard for lawyers to identify clearly the impact on themselves personally or to take action.
Tips for managing vicarious trauma
By simply acknowledging the inevitable effect of working with some of the cases that you do, you can help reduce the severity of the impact.
Reflection
Allow some space and time within your schedule to reflect on your own practice, to share experiences with peers and senior colleagues, and to learn techniques to improve how you cope with the effects.
Mindfulness
There is strong scientific evidence that higher levels of mindfulness are linked to lower levels of vicarious trauma. Check out mindfulness websites (and mobile apps) like Bodhi or Headspace for simple, short practices to get started.
Looking after yourself
Self-care is not self-indulgence. If you are regularly supporting survivors of trauma, it is imperative that you take care of yourself too.
Professional help
Requesting more formal support for your mental health from your GP and employer is important, particularly if you are also dealing with your own trauma history. For more support, call LawCare on 1800 991 801 or visit the Irish LawCare website.
Aug/Sept 2018 Gazette
Three doctors leading UCC’s IDEA project, write about the impact on solicitors and barristers practising in the area of child-care proceedings when exposed to emotionally demanding cases:
eNewsletters
This article originally appeared in the November 2018 member eZine. For more information, and to subscribe, visit eNewsletters.