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injury, or a disordered state resulting from mental or emotional stress. As the first responders to many campus
crises, experiencing trauma is a regular occurrence, these heavy situations take their toll, and we develop
band-aid solutions, intentionally or not, to work through the lasting impacts of trauma. The Administration for
Children and Families describe Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD) as " a natural but disruptive
by-product of working with traumatized clients. " (Secondary Traumatic Stress, n.d.). STSD is also frequently
referred to as Compassion Fatigue. Compassion fatigue can present in a variety of physical, behavioral, and
emotional signs and symptoms including physical exhaustion, anger or irritability, an exaggerated sense of
responsibility, and a reduced ability to feel sympathy or empathy among others (Mathieu, 2012).
When we are continually subjected to secondary trauma, it is easy to ignore the feelings associated with
the trauma, and it often normalizes responding to high-stress situations. When we become desensitized to
crises and trauma it can make us unable to adequately support those in our supervision, who often have less
experience in responding to crises and developing healthy support measures. The " check in " is common after
a crisis, but it can easily become focused on the situation and not the person. As supervisors and supervisees,
we will not always get it right- creating an environment where feedback is welcome and can be acted on
is ideal. Talking to staff about their needs and wants when it comes to follow up is also important as their
feedback can inform your practice, creating sustainable solutions that meet the needs of each staff member.
Some may like an in-person check in while others may want a phone call or virtual meeting. When checking
in with a staff member after a crisis, professionals should adopt the mentality of person-first in these follow up
conversations and ensure follow up is frequent and consistent. This will enable us to focus on the needs of our
staff instead of only prioritizing the additional information we need or want.
Self-advocacy is an important facet of avoiding long-term band-aid solutions. Staff members should check
in with themselves and their bodies, identify needs, and vocalize them within their department or institution.
Self-advocacy can, and should, be supported departmentally, divisionally, institutionally, and personally.
Departmentally, seek to understand what may be plausible when it comes to support. Identify things that may
be within your department's control. After a late duty night or a heavy situation, it may be possible to ask for
some flexibility with your work hours. This may look like flexing time in the office or asking for a day off. We
are resilient because we have often trained ourselves to be, but suppressing our emotions and continually
pouring from an empty cup is not sustainable. From a divisional perspective, it may be important to identify
how to best advocate for your staff. Regardless of your department's reporting structure, most likely not all
offices are serving in crisis and on-call capacities like your team is. Considering the nuances and challenges
of these positions, is it possible to ask for flexible work schedules? This takes the conversation of Paid Time
Off, or Administrative Time Off to the next tier. Some offices allow their on-call teams a partial day off the week
following their on-call rotation. Many institutions have well-being initiatives at the institution, state, regional, and
national levels. This can include employee assistance programs, affinity groups, or initiatives to support the
physical and mental well-being of faculty and staff. Community support, especially as live-on staff, can provide
separation from work. Community support can be found in family and friends who are not affiliated with the
role, counselors and therapists, and getting involved in the community through volunteer or hobby activities.
Asking for help and working for impactful change can be difficult, but we will never know the possibilities that
may exist if we never start the conversation.
Citations
Longerbeam, S. (2016). Challenge and Support for the 21st Century: A Mixed-Methods Study of College
Student Success. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 28(2), 33-51.
Mathieu, F. (2012). The Compassion Fatigue Workbook: Creative Tools for Transforming Compassion
Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.proxy.library.vcu.
edu/10.4324/9780203803349
Secondary traumatic stress. Administration for Children & Families. (n.d.). https://www.acf.hhs.gov/traumatoolkit/secondary-traumatic-stress
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https://doi-org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/10.4324/9780203803349 https://doi-org.proxy.library.vcu.edu/10.4324/9780203803349 https://www.acf.hhs.gov/traumatoolkit/secondary-traumatic-stress https://www.acf.hhs.gov/traumatoolkit/secondary-traumatic-stress

SEAHO Report - Winter 2025

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