Vicarious trauma is the emotional impact therapists absorb when hearing about clients’ trauma. It shows up as changes in your worldview, sense of safety, and energy because of empathic exposure. It’s a normal part of being a trauma therapist — not a sign you’re doing anything wrong.

When we name and normalize vicarious trauma, like we do in The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective, it helps prevent it from progressing into compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, or burnout. For a deeper dive, check out my blog on taming vicarious trauma in your body

Vicarious trauma stems from empathic exposure to trauma, while burnout comes from chronic stress and overload. They overlap, which we cover here on the blog, but they’re not the same and benefit from different kinds of support.

Burnout often looks like exhaustion, disconnection, or a loss of motivation because of workload. Vicarious trauma, on the other hand, changes how you see yourself, others, and the world.

Many therapists confuse the two, which makes it harder to get the right support. In BRAVE, I teach a framework that helps you tell them apart so you can respond in ways that actually work.

Vicarious resilience is the positive impact of witnessing clients’ healing. It’s about internalizing their strength, recovery, and growth so it sustains you in your own work.

Just as trauma therapists can absorb the pain of trauma, we can also absorb the hope and resilience we see in our clients.

When you notice and install these moments, they counterbalance the hard parts of the job. Inside BRAVE, we share stories of vicarious resilience to help therapists stay connected to why they started this work in the first place.

You can also watch my YouTube video on what vicarious resilience is and how to recognize it

The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective is an online membership community for trauma therapists to manage vicarious trauma, grow professionally, and feel less isolated. It includes live consultation, guest experts, education calls, and 24/7 peer support.

I founded BRAVE because I know what it’s like to feel burned out, disconnected, and alone in this work.

For just $12/month, you’ll have a space where you can show up as you are, ask real questions, and get support from colleagues who get it. Learn more and join BRAVE here.

Feeling isolated as a trauma therapist is common, especially if you’re in private practice, a rural setting, or the only trauma specialist in your workplace. No matter where you work, you are not alone in this struggle.

Support can look like consultation groups, peer communities, or professional memberships designed specifically for trauma therapists.

In The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective, you’ll find 24/7 connection with colleagues who understand exactly what you’re going through. Having a trusted community makes the work more sustainable and reminds you that you don’t have to carry it by yourself.

Nope! Most calls are recorded for on-demand access (except consultation calls), and the 24/7 online community offers ongoing support whenever it fits your schedule.

Many members tell me they join BRAVE even though they can’t always attend live. They still get so much out of the call recordings, discussion threads, and connection with colleagues.

You don’t have to be “on” all the time to feel the impact. BRAVE was designed to meet you where you are, to allow you to be human!

BRAVE is for licensed or in-training therapists seeking consultation, community, and continuing education. It isn’t therapy and isn’t intended as treatment for your own trauma.

Yes, we are The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective, and we are open to all therapists. We know that every therapist works with trauma, so our space is for you, even if you don’t specialize in treating trauma.

If you’re a therapist who wants to feel less isolated, more supported, and more human in your work, BRAVE is for you.

If you’re looking for personal therapy or a place to process your own trauma history, BRAVE isn’t the right fit. But if you want a professional home where you can be human first and excellent at your work, you belong here.

Self-doubt is one of the most common struggles for trauma therapists. It often shows up after difficult sessions, when you wonder if you did enough or said the right thing, or after any tough session with a client.

Please know, this doubt doesn’t mean you’re not capable. It means you’re human and invested in your clients’ healing!

Inside BRAVE, we create space for these conversations so you don’t carry them alone. With consultation and peer support, self-doubt can shift into reflection and professional growth.

Personal therapy supports your healing; BRAVE supports your professional work with consultation, peer connection, and resources specific to trauma therapy.

Your own therapy helps you process your personal history and care for your mental health. But it doesn’t replace the unique support of colleagues who understand the toll of trauma work.

BRAVE gives you professional consultation, case support, and a community of trauma therapists who get the nuances of vicarious trauma, resilience, and burnout. Together, therapy and BRAVE make you stronger, both personally and professionally.

Yes. Trauma therapists can experience PTSD symptoms from repeated exposure to clients’ trauma. This is called secondary traumatic stress, which is different than vicarious trauma.

Hearing trauma stories day after day impacts the nervous system. Symptoms may look like intrusive thoughts, sleep problems, or heightened anxiety caused by your work.

For example - nightmares about the work you’re doing with clients. Or, like me, feeling hypervigilant in your every day life because you’re working with so much violent trauma.

Experiencing this doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’re human. In BRAVE, we normalize these experiences and provide support so therapists don’t carry them alone.

Supportive community and professional consultation are the most effective tools for vicarious trauma (not just bubble baths or time off, as great as they are!).

Self-care is important, but it can’t replace the impact of having a space where you can talk honestly about your work. That’s why BRAVE focuses on connection, education, and consultation: the real antidotes to vicarious trauma. (Read more in my blog on vicarious resilience).

Compassion fatigue is the emotional exhaustion that happens when you’ve been giving care without enough support to refill your own cup. It often develops from unaddressed vicarious trauma.

When you experience vicarious trauma but don’t have space to process it, the result can be compassion fatigue — that “empty tank” feeling where empathy starts to feel harder to access.

In BRAVE, we help therapists catch compassion fatigue early so it doesn’t progress into burnout.

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) refers to PTSD-like symptoms therapists can experience from repeated exposure to clients’ trauma.

STS may look like nightmares, intrusive images, or hypervigilance connected to your clients’ stories. It’s a sign that the work is affecting your nervous system in a very real way.

Recognizing STS matters and having peer support, like that found inside BRAVE, makes it easier to cope without feeling like you’re losing it.

Burnout often shows up as exhaustion, cynicism, or a loss of motivation for work you once cared deeply about.

Unlike vicarious trauma, which changes how you see the world, burnout is tied to chronic stress and overwhelm.

Many therapists realize they’re burned out when they dread sessions or feel detached from their clients. Inside BRAVE, we talk about the warning signs of burnout so you can intervene before you feel like leaving the field.

Yes! Feeling tired after holding space for trauma is normal because your nervous system is working hard in every session too.

Exhaustion doesn’t mean you’re weak or unfit for the work.

It means you’ve been deeply affected by the work you love.

In BRAVE, we normalize this and teach ways to recover so fatigue doesn’t build up into burnout.

Absolutely. Feeling relief when a client cancels is a normal human reaction and it doesn’t mean you don’t care about your clients.

Therapists often feel guilty for this, but needing a break is part of being human. In BRAVE, we openly talk about these “taboo” therapist feelings so you can let go of shame and see them for what they are: signs you need rest.

Yes. BRAVE includes both seasoned and newer trauma therapists. Everyone’s experience is valued.

If you’re just starting out, BRAVE offers mentorship-like support and a place to learn from colleagues who’ve been there. If you’re seasoned, BRAVE provides consultation and connection to help sustain your career. Either way, you belong.