Empathy & Healthy Distance to Prevent Traumatic Experiences in the Social Work Field

Empathy – the ability to put oneself in the emotional and mental world of other people – is one of the core prerequisites for social work. As important as this tool is, the work with traumatized clients can also leave marks on the helpers. On one hand, empathy is indispensable for relational work with clients, but on the other hand, it also requires constant professional reflection as it can also lead to various (undesirable) reaction patterns that hinder professional work. One concept dealing with the effects of being too compassionate is the phenomenon of secondary traumatization. It describes the process of secondary or indirect traumatization of professional helpers through the confrontation with traumas of their clients or patients. This article presents how possible consequences for practical work or training of social workers can be done through concepts like awareness raising and development of prevention measures. It presents strategies to learn how to cope with traumas and to build an appropriate, healthy relationship with the client. Nevertheless, despite all empathy and closeness coming with the job, the preservation of certain abstinence is of decisive importance. It is therefore essential to find a balance between closeness and healthy boundaries in a social worker's daily life. 


Keywords: Empathy, secondary traumatization, healthy boundaries, social work