91
• Display heroic but ruthless behaviour .
• Neglect their safety and physical needs ( no breaks , no sleep , long hours , etc .).
• Show suspicion of their colleagues and managers .
• Display antisocial behaviour .
• Are excessively tired .
• Lack concentration , are inefficient .
• Have difficulty sleeping .
• Consume too much alcohol , tobacco or drugs .
Helping is often demanding . Helpers must push themselves but also take care of themselves , which can be difficult to balance . They risk secondary trauma when they listen to children ’ s experiences , particularly if they have been abused themselves . Despite their efforts , they may at times struggle to deal with their emotions , have relationship problems , find it difficult to make decisions , experience physical pains or illness , feel hopeless , think their life has no meaning , or suffer a collapse in self-esteem . This is burnout . Early recognition and awareness are crucial to preventing it . Helpers need to develop strategies for coping that pre-empt secondary traumatisation . The sections that follow provide more information on what helpers and their employers can do to protect themselves .
” Helping is often demanding . Helpers must push themselves but also take care of themselves , which can be difficult to balance . They risk secondary trauma when they listen to children ’ s experiences , particularly if they have been abused themselves .”
At the same time , helpers would not do this work if it did not have positive effects . One of these is resilience : the capacity to recover from difficult experiences . Many helpers feel that witnessing the extraordinary resilience of children who have been abused has changed how they react and behave , not only at work , but as people ; it has helped them to handle their own sorrows and challenges .
5.5 Prevention of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue
Early recognition and awareness are essential to prevent helpers from suffering secondary traumatisation or compassion fatigue . Even large institutions sometimes fail to take care of their employees because managers are not adequately trained to detect and identify symptoms , are not ready to intervene early , or have poor follow-up procedures . These risks are particularly acute for helpers who work alone in small municipalities , lack access to larger networks , and have few resources and little support . All helpers who work closely with children who have been abused should regularly step back to assess their emotional state and review whether they need to protect themselves from secondary traumatisation and compassion fatigue . Individuals must learn to foresee risk while they are still able to take control of their situation . Organisations should develop procedures and practices for detecting when helpers need extra support or a break , and make sure that helpers know they are entitled to ask for such support .
HELPING THE HELPER