Professional Quality of Life and Trauma Therapists

The protective role of compassion satisfaction for therapists who work with sexual violence survivors: an application of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions

“…Although post-traumatic growth has been found to buffer the negative effects of trauma work for therapists (Samios et al, 2012), compassion satisfaction and posttraumatic growth are different constructs (Larsen & Stamm, 2008), and in fact were found to be unrelated in a sample of professionals who work with torture victims (Birck, 2001). Thus, the buffering role found for post-traumatic growth may not necessarily be found for compassion satisfaction.…”

“…For example, meaning making theories, which were integrated by Park (2010), indicate that the post-traumatic growth identified by therapists may help therapists reinterpret the threatening aspects of their work, such as their own perceived loss of innocence and difficulties dealing with the emotions of their clients (Neumann & Gamble, 1995), which in turn may lessen the impact of secondary traumatic stress symptoms on adjustment. Unlike post-traumatic growth, which is thought to arise from a search for meaning triggered by distress (Park, 2010), compassion satisfaction is thought to occur as a result of positive feelings arising from helping others, especially clients exposed to trauma (Larsen & Stamm, 2008). The literature on positive emotions may provide a theoretical basis to help understand how compassion satisfaction arises in the presence of the negative effects of exposure to clients' trauma and why compassion satisfaction may play a protective role for therapists.…”

“…Because therapist self-care is paramount for quality delivery of mental health services (Neumann & Gamble, 1995), there is a focus in the literature on the negative effects of trauma work on therapists. To gain a comprehensive understanding of trauma therapists' professional quality of life, both the negative and positive effects of trauma work need to be examined (Larsen & Stamm, 2008). Empirical research that examines the positive effects from helping work has been increasing in recent years (e.g., Linley & Joseph, 2007;O'Sullivan & Whelan, 2011;Samios, Rodzik, & Abel, 2012); however, this research focuses primarily on one type of positive effect from trauma work Á post-traumatic growth or the positive changes reported by therapists.…”

“…Empirical research that examines the positive effects from helping work has been increasing in recent years (e.g., Linley & Joseph, 2007;O'Sullivan & Whelan, 2011;Samios, Rodzik, & Abel, 2012); however, this research focuses primarily on one type of positive effect from trauma work Á post-traumatic growth or the positive changes reported by therapists. The other key type of positive effect is compassion satisfaction (Craig & Sprang, 2010;Larsen & Stamm, 2008), which refers to the sense of fulfillment or pleasure that therapists derive from doing their work well, such as feeling pleasure from helping others (Stamm, 2005). Compassion satisfaction is considered unique to therapists because it focuses on the powerful experience of emotional engagement necessary for successful therapeutic work (Figley, 2002).…”

“…As compassion satisfaction is thought to be an important factor in continued work in the presence of the negative effects of trauma work (Larsen & Stamm, 2008), the present study examined the moderating role of compassion satisfaction in the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and both depression and anxiety in a sample of 61 therapists recruited from agencies, where therapists frequently work with sexual violence survivors. We hypothesised that compassion satisfaction would act as a buffer against the negative effects of secondary traumatic stress on both depression and anxiety.…”