journal_vol49no3 - 95

Secondary Traumatic Stress in RHDs
relationship, feeling the need to present themselves professionally and to hide their
true feelings. If self-harming clients cause even well-trained counselors to struggle,
minimally trained residence hall directors likely struggle more when faced with the
prospect of managing the suicidal behavior of one of their resident assistants. While
research has been conducted into the consequences of secondary traumatic stress as
it relates to resident assistants (e.g., Lynch, 2017, 2019) and student affairs professionals
as a whole (e.g., Lynch & Glass, 2019), no research has specifically examined
the effect of this kind of stress on residence hall directors or the specific experience
of supervising a live-in resident assistant who has displayed suicidal behavior during
employment.
RESIDENCE HALL DIRECTOR CAREER PLANNING
RHDs support and supervise students, including RAs, and may feel the need to manage
their own emotions in order to be able to provide appropriate support. Furthermore,
as directors become involved in these challenging encounters, they may begin to
wonder if they want to remain in the field. RHDs are often initially attracted to the job
as a result of their own experiences with an RHD during college, an experience that is
often serendipitous (Blimling, 2015). Many of these entry-level professionals don't really
consider their own career progression beyond the initial entry point into the student
affairs field (Silver & Jakeman, 2014), and their progression in student affairs can often
be the result of an unplanned opportunity that coincides with career preparedness
(Biddix, 2011). Within the student affairs literature, several studies show a progression
in RHDs moving away from this job because of a desire to advance in the field, a concern
about their quality of life, their difficulty handling an excessive workload or receiving
inadequate supervision, the lack of opportunities for promotion, the existence
of attractive alternatives, and their desire for a higher salary (Belch & Mueller, 2003;
Collins & Hirt, 2006; Marshall et al., 2016; Scheuermann & Ellett, 2007). Repeated
exposure to others' stress and trauma, as well as the experience of their own secondary
traumatic stress, also plays a part in their planning for other careers.
RESIDENCE HALL DIRECTOR WELL-BEING
Almost all residence hall directors in U.S. higher education institutions are required to
live on campus as a function of their jobs (Hirschy & Staten, 2021). Because they live
where they work, the line between work and personal life is often difficult to maintain.
In fact, in one study, 29% of RHDs reported that they could not differentiate when they
were at work or were off duty (Asimou, 2017). While a director's position is typically
listed as a 40-hour work week, staff typically work well beyond that timeframe. RHDs
often work more than they are given credit for, and they struggle to maintain boundaries
between their personal and professional lives (Linder, 2011). Leaders in higher education
acknowledge that RHD expectations for the job can be unrealistic, the workload
can be exhausting, and their well-being is often left to their own management through
92 The Journal of College and University Student Housing
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