Case Illustration · Applied Exercise
A Predictable Consequence
Nothing here is a sign of weak practice. That is what makes it easy to miss and easy to mishandle.
The presentation
A registered psychologist with five years of sexual health practice, including significant trauma-focused work, begins to notice changes in his clinical work. He finds himself dreading sessions with clients who have disclosed sexual assault histories, feeling flat and disengaged in sessions he would previously have found meaningful, and having intrusive thoughts about clients’ disclosures during evenings and weekends.
He has increased his caseload at the same time as increasing his proportion of trauma referrals, reasoning that his experience makes him well qualified to take on more of this work. He attends case consultation weekly, and has not had a consultation focused on his own experience of the work in several months.
Estimated time to complete this exercise: 12 minutes
Part 1 of 5
Which of these constitute the STS presentation itself?
Select all that do. Three of the seven. You get one submission.
References
- College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario. (2024). Non-supervisory consultations and other services. https://cpbao.ca/members/professional-practice/non-supervisory-consultations-and-other-services/
- Hensel, J. M., Ruiz, C., Finney, C., & Dewa, C. S. (2015). Meta-analysis of risk factors for secondary traumatic stress in therapeutic work with trauma victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28(2), 83–91. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25864503
- Quinn, A., Ji, P., & Nackerud, L. (2019). Predictors of secondary traumatic stress among social workers: Supervision, income, and caseload size. Journal of Social Work, 19(4), 504–528. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017318762450