Secondary Trauma

One thing you might hear thrown around when discussing attorney well-being is secondary trauma. For some, this might be a new term, so we thought we’d take a little time to explore what it is.

Secondary trauma is the traumatic response you have to hearing about or seeing another’s trauma. It is real concern for those who work in the mental health field, but also for those who work in the legal field. This is especially true for certain specialties such as criminal law, family law, and personal injury law just to name a few. Other specialties can also struggle with secondary trauma, but those three are some of the biggies.

And all to often secondary trauma is overlooked or brushed off, particularly in the legal field. However we are professionals, not robots, and secondary trauma when exposed to certain things is normal. If you are dealing with it, know that you are not alone.

Next, it is important to understand what can be done. Talking to a mental health professional is a good first step, but additional steps can include medication, support groups, and changing cases or specialties. The exact right approach to secondary trauma will be different for everyone, just as what triggers secondary trauma will be different in everyone. What is most important is not to ignore secondary trauma.

If you have questions, or if you are struggling with secondary trauma yourself, know that you can reach out to us here at The LegalMind Society. We understand secondary trauma and we are here to help.