Positive Effects of Trauma Work: Vicarious Resilience of Child Abuse Crisis Counselors Before and During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Hotline crisis counselors witness trauma in others, leaving them vulnerable to compassion fatigue and burnout. Vicarious resilience can counterbalance the harmful effects of trauma work and help individuals avoid vicarious traumatization. This dissertation examined four research questions constructed to explore the lived experiences of child abuse hotline crisis counselors over thirty-six months, both before and during the COVID-pandemic. Furthermore, the recent implementation of text and chat, in addition to a traditional phone call, has ushered in new issues of abuse and concern brought on by the pandemic (i.e., isolation, fear of sickness and death, employment, housing and childcare insecurities, school closures, remote work, divisive custody issues related to masks and vaccines). Using a phenomenological methodology, this study draws upon three years of focus group data (2019, 2020, & 2021). Six focus groups were conducted with twenty-six hotline counselors over the three years to address the research questions that explore the counselors’ professional experiences before and during the pandemic. Analysis of the focus group transcriptions included a single-year analysis that looked at each year and a cross-year analysis to look at themes generated by analyzing all years together. Themes of resilience, workspace, and healing found that the hotline counselors shared positive experiences and personal growth from their work with implications of advocating for self-care not as an individual issue but as a larger collective issue among counselors. The results of this study will advance the concept of vicarious resilience, trauma-informed practices, and, most importantly, sustaining, and empowering helping professionals in challenging times.