Secondary Trauma in Public Service

This is a 25-minute video on secondary trauma in public service. You may think that as a political science, public policy, or law student, you won't encounter trauma via your work. But, if you are working in or planning to work in or around government, the law, politics, public policy, or the like, you will be asked to help others. And some people who need help have faced trauma. Thus, you may find yourself on the front lines of observing the firsthand trauma, stress, and mental health challenges that frequently accompany people seeking support and services from government. Whether these are one-time occurrences or your regular reality, their trauma may affect you. Some of these experiences may embolden you, but some of them may stick with you too, accumulate and cause stress that may debilitate you in ways you didn’t anticipate or even realize. Social scientists refer to this stress as "secondary traumatic stress." This video is designed to teach you about secondary trauma, its signs and symptoms, and strategies to mitigate this trauma, build resilency, and establish a healthy foundation so you can continue in this public service work for the long haul.