ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades, there has been a growing recognition of the fact that persons may manifest symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or other serious emotional distress through secondhand or indirect exposure to the traumatic experience of others (Figley 1995). Such cases include Holocaust survivors and their children (Danieli 1985), intimates of rape victims (Kelly 1988), and mental health professionals who work with trauma survivors (Lindy and Wilson 1994; Figley 1995; Stamm 2002). Literature generated from within the œeld of traumatology has also emphasized the potential for harm to therapists who specialize in trauma therapy (Figley 1995, 1999; Pearlman and MacIan 1995; Wilson 1994). Therapists are exposed to the stressors and psychic pain experienced by their clients. Therapists also carry the professional burden of being expected to remain open and available to their clients on an emotional level. This empathic involvement sets the stage for the potentially deleterious effects of therapy to impact the professional (Pickett 1998).
