2012

It costs to care for others. Helping others can be painful for the helper. Hearing stories of pain, sorrow, and suffering on a daily basis is described by Skovholt, Grier, and Hanson as an occupational hazard for members of a “high touch” profession, such as counselors, nurses, teachers, and social workers (2001, p. 168). Counselors work with clients who have experienced all kinds of trauma, including sexual victimization, war, chronic illnesses, violence, earthquakes or hurricanes, and terrorist attacks, to name but a few. Counselors in community mental health experience increased case loads along with decreased resources and funding cuts. Managed care providers authorize fewer billable session hours while mental and emotional disorders are more frequent and more severe. Societal stressors such as unemployment, financial crises, and the vast numbers of returning veterans who may be injured or suffering from mental or emotional disorders are further burdening an already under resourced health care system. In addition, counselors may also have a personal history of their own traumatic life experiences which can increase their susceptibility for emotional arousal to their clients’ stories of trauma (Lawson & Myers, 2011; Lawson & Venart, 2005).