Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Recent research suggests that some trauma therapists have vicarious experiences of their clients' resilience, that is, feelings of strength and ability to move forward after hardship. This positive outcome of therapy may be a major component in preventing burnout. This research, however, has not given attention to the unique experience of novice therapists who are most susceptible to burnout, due to their expectations of cure, self-sacrificing style and susceptibility to external judgement. I aim to expand on my undergraduate thesis, which explores the differences between novice and expert experiences of vicarious resilience through interviews with six participants. In my graduate studies, I will increase the number and diversity of participants, thus expanding the transferability of my findings. Furthermore, I aim to extend my interviews to therapists have burned out and stopped working in direct client care all together. What caused their burnout and how did it interfere in their experience of vicarious resilience? I will continue to use qualitative methods to analyze the data. This methodology compels the researcher to seriously consider the context of both the participant and scientist, and the how such relationships influence the findings. Research suggests that awareness of vicarious resilience catalyzes its experience and benefits. Thus, I hope to add to the mounting evidence that education about the protective and risk factors of burnout should be a key component of training programs for helping professionals. We cannot afford to have the novice leave the workforce due to early burnout, thus will benefit from learning how to sustain them in their work. We need a strong healthcare system supported by well-seasoned experts.