By Anita Petrovic.
In an unfortunately large proportion of family matters, one or more of the parties will find themselves dealing with the stress and/or trauma of having experienced family violence. As lawyers, we engage with clients who may have significant trauma arising from their experiences and who we ask to share those experiences with us in order to fulsomely instruct us. We then reiterate these experiences in the drafting of Court documents, appearing in Court, engaging with clients on a daily basis, and engaging with other professionals.
It is human nature to sympathise with others. But what happens when we start to experience vicarious trauma through consistently interacting with the experiences of our clients? Vicarious trauma refers to the effect on a person of being exposed to the trauma of others on a regular basis. This can manifest itself in lawyers (and many other professionals) in multiple ways including lack of sleep, anxiety, and an inability to mentally separate oneself from the experiences of clients thereby affecting other areas of lawyers’ lives.
To enable lawyers to continue to provide our service effectively, it is important to recognise signs of vicarious trauma arising, and address these through, amongst other things:
- Communicating with peers and/or mental health professionals (if required); and
- Maintaining work-life balance, including taking holidays and managing work hours where possible.
Vicarious trauma does not just affect lawyers; it can affect anyone who consistently engages with the traumatic experiences of others. It is important to check in on each other and check in with yourself to see if what you are experiencing may be vicarious trauma and seek appropriate supports if need be.
Photo by Antonio DiCaterina on Unsplash
