Counselor Preparation and Training

Counselor education programs have a responsibility to train counselors on the concept of vicarious trauma, including symptom identification, assessment, treatment, and prevention. Many traditional programs lack emphasis on vicarious trauma education, therefore, many counselors who work regularly with traumatized clients or students report they were ill-equipped to handle the emotional consequences of this type of work. Devoting time and effort to the recognition and prevention of vicarious trauma in counselor training may go a long way toward mitigating its effects. Think back on any training in this area you received in your master’s program and its impact on you as an effective counselor or a counselor-in-training. Consider how counselors are trained to work with vicarious trauma and how this fits into the curriculum. For counselor educators and supervisors, as future leaders in such a program, part of your job might entail designing, facilitating, and even evaluating programs’ strengths in this and other areas.