| This dissertation addresses the impact of vicarious trauma on lay counselors working with survivors of human trafficking in the Philippines. Human trafficking is a global problem the United Nation estimates affects 2.5 million people around the world, although these estimates are hard to determine since it is an intangible problem. The Philippines is a country affected by the problem of human trafficking. Many government and non-government organizations have been created throughout the country to help those who have been rescued from trafficking. There is a lack of trained mental health professionals in developing countries, such as the Philippines. Therefore, many lay counselors with little to no professional training are working with the vulnerable human trafficking populations throughout the country. Interviews were conducted with 6 of the lay counselors at a government-run safe house in Manila for those women and children rescued from human trafficking to understand the impact of vicarious trauma on these lay counselors. Vicarious trauma is described as the inner transformation of a counselor resulting from empathically engaging with a client who discusses traumatic information. The vicarious trauma literature identifies protective factors and risk factors that affect those counselors working with trauma clients, which were analyzed among the 6 interviewed lay counselors in Manila. Study findings were that those interviewed had many risk factors that increased their likelihood of experiencing vicarious trauma, including exposure to clients with trauma, experience level, and empathic engagement. However, participants also endorsed protective factors that helped prevent the deleterious effects of vicarious trauma. These protective factors included peer supervision and support, spirituality, and meaning making. |
