Secondary Traumatization – When other people’s trauma has an impact
Secondary traumatization can be described as the psychological strain that arises when one over time is exposed to or works in close proximity to other people’s trauma, without sufficient opportunities for regulation, shared processing, and professional support.
In exposure psychology, secondary traumatization is not understood as an individual vulnerability, but as a phenomenon that arises in the interaction between job demands, emotional exposure, and the organisational frameworks within which the work is carried out.
Secondary traumatization is not the same as primary traumatization. It does not arise because one has personally been exposed to traumatic events, but because one repeatedly engages professionally with other people’s trauma – often with responsibility for helping, containing, and responding appropriately.
Preventing secondary traumatization is a central part of the overall work with the psychosocial work environment.
How does secondary traumatization develop?
Secondary traumatization rarely occurs suddenly. It develops gradually, often unnoticed, and over time can alter the way one experiences one’s work, relationships, and oneself.
The strain arises when:
- Exposure to other people’s trauma is frequent and sustained.
- There is no shared language for addressing strain.
- Processing becomes private rather than collective.
- Responsibility is individualised.
- Recovery and regulation are not integrated into the organisational framework of the work.
When strain is not regulated collectively, it can accumulate as inner wear and tear – emotionally, cognitively, and relationally.
Typical signs of secondary traumatization
Secondary traumatization is particularly seen in professions involving close work with people, where professionals are continuously exposed to others’ suffering, fear, grief, or traumatic narratives. This includes fields such as social work, healthcare, psychiatry, emergency services, education, and other relational professions where empathy and responsibility are integral to the core task.
It rarely presents as one single, clear symptom. More often, a range of gradual changes can be observed – both in the individual and within the team, for example:
- Emotional exhaustion or withdrawal.
- Increased irritability, cynicism, or reduced empathy.
- Changes in one’s view of people, the world, or the work itself.
- Heightened alertness or emotional detachment.
- Difficulty mentally disengaging from work.
- Reduced reflection and impaired judgement under pressure.
These reactions are not signs of inadequate professional competence – but may indicate that the strain has become too great and too solitary. der er blevet for stor og for ensom.
Preventing secondary traumatization in practice
When organisations wish to work systematically with the prevention of secondary traumatization, it requires shared knowledge, a common professional language, and structures that function in everyday practice.
This presupposes that managers, employees, and occupational health and safety functions share an understanding of what secondary traumatization is, how it develops, and which conditions either amplify or mitigate strain in daily work. At the same time, it requires clear frameworks for responsibility, role distribution, and professional reflection – even when the pace is high and the tasks are emotionally demanding.
For this reason, the Institute for Exposure Psychology offers digital implementation courses developed for psychologically demanding work and delivered within work groups. The courses establish a shared professional foundation and provide concrete tools for preventing secondary traumatization as an integrated part of the organisational framework – not as an individual responsibility, but as a collective occupational health and safety concern.
Digitale implementeringskurser til fagfolk med et psykisk krævende arbejde
Foundation Course in Strain Psychology
For a holistic approach to managing everyday high emotional demands and exposure to potentially traumatic events.
Foundation Course in Psychological First Aid
For collective crisis response when something unexpected happens — and the group must manage an extraordinary psychological strain together.
Foundation Course in Psychological Safety
Ensuring that tools and methods truly work in practice — rather than remaining well-written policies in contingency plans.
Foundation Course in Psychosocial Prevention
Creating a shared understanding of what proactive, collective prevention looks like in daily practice.
Sekundær traumatisering og andre belastningsfænomener
- Compassion fatigue, when emotional engagement exceeds recovery.
- Brutalization, when unregulated strain leads to distancing and cynicism.
- Burnout, when strain becomes prolonged and meaning-bearing structures begin to break down.
These phenomena do not arise in isolation, but in the interplay between demands, organisational structures, and culture. Learn more about what it means to have a job with a high degree of emotional strain in this short video.
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