The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit

screenshot of Vicarious Trauma Toolkit website homepagescreenshot of Vicarious Trauma Toolkit website homepageVicarious trauma—also known as secondary trauma, provider fatigue, or compassion fatigue—can have long-lasting effects on service providers who work closely with crime victims.[8] OVC funded Northeastern University’s Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice (IUHRP) to develop and test a national-scope training and technical assistance toolkit to support responses to vicarious trauma and reduce its effects on victim assistance professionals, law enforcement personnel, firefighters, and emergency medical services providers, who may experience traumatic stress due to large-scale incidents of mass violence or repeated exposure to traumatizing incidents. To develop the toolkit, IUHRP conducted a literature review, surveyed representatives of direct service providers across the Nation, conducted a gap analysis, identified effective practices, and produced a series of training and technical resources. After pilot testing the toolkit at seven sites throughout the country (Allegany and Cattaraugus County, Olean, NY; Buncombe County, Asheville, NC; Cambridge, MA; Central Texas Urban Community, Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Glendale, AZ; and Great Falls, MT), OVC released the Vicarious Trauma Toolkit in April 2017.

  1. 8Dowling F, Moynihan G, Genet B, Lewis J [2006]. A Peer-Based Assistance Program for Officers With the New York City Police Department: Report of the Effects of Sept. 11, 2001. American Journal of Psychiatry 163(1): 151-3