What are signs of burnout or secondary traumatic stress in professionals working with IPV/sexual violence cases?

• A. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced accomplishment, intrusive images, sleep problems, irritability, and withdrawal
• B. Increased energy, hyper-optimism, longer sleep duration
• C. No changes in mood or behavior
• D. Improved recall of details and increased social engagement

Answer: (A)

Exposure to clients’ trauma can affect how professionals think, feel, and behave over time. The best signs to look for reflect both burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment are the classic burnout trio: you feel drained, start pulling away from clients, and lose a sense of effectiveness. At the same time, secondary traumatic stress brings trauma-driven reactivity such as intrusive images or thoughts from the cases, sleep disturbances, irritability, and withdrawal. Recognizing this mix helps distinguish a normal, stressed period from more persistent patterns that signal the need for self-care, supervision, and potentially professional support.

The other options don’t fit because they describe upswings or no change in functioning (increased energy, hyper-optimism, longer sleep), no changes in mood or behavior, or even improvements in recall and social engagement. Those patterns aren’t consistent with burnout or secondary traumatic stress.