Vicarious traumatization: The danger of the unknown for transition house workers.

The current literature on vicarious traumatization identifies some of the negative effects experienced by professionals who do trauma work. The purpose of this mixed-methods exploratory study is to examine transition house support workers' knowledge of vicarious traumatization. Without understanding what is known about the topic and currently being done within agencies it is difficult to implement the changes needed to protect support workers on the front lines. Participants in this study consisted of support workers from seven transition houses located in Northwestern communities along Highway 16 from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Prince George, BC. This research was carried out between February 2008 and July 2008 through three phases of data collection: questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, and one focus group. Descriptive statistics are calculated and content analysis applied to the qualitative data. Research findings indicate the following main themes: vulnerability, impacts, knowledge base, agency response, and strategies for change. Recommendations for policy and practice are also identified. Based on the findings, transition house workers are vulnerable to vicarious traumatization and while their knowledge is limited, what they do know can serve as a baseline to guide the development of effective training programs. --P.ii.