How Do We Understand Disaster-Related Vicarious Trauma, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Compassion Fatigue?

Mel is a social worker employed in a city hospital’s outpatient clinic. When a hurricane unexpectedly strikes the city in which he works, Mel and his family are forced to evacuate their home and move in with relatives an hour away. Their house sustains a good deal of damage in the storm, and it is unclear when they will be able to return. The move is disruptive for Mel’s young children, who begin having nightmares about the hurricane and are irritable due to the change in their routine. Mel and his wife are sleeping on a couch in the den and have little space or time to themselves. Many of Mel’s ongoing clients are in similar circumstances, and the content of their therapy sessions deals with their sense of dislocation, powerlessness, and frustration at not knowing when life will return to normal. Mel, who typically approaches his clinical work with a sense of optimism, is often at a loss for what to say when his clients are in need of comfort and hope.