Except for one thing. For more than 17 years, in my capacity as a licensed counselor, I have been listening to the distressing and horrible things that have happened to other people. I have been professionally trained to hear these stories without taking the burden upon myself. No. Wait. That’s wrong. Every time someone shared a story, they did transfer their burden on to me. My professional training taught me how to let it go and not take it home with me. Mostly. #copingskills
But if I struggle with not taking on vicarious trauma from hearing these stories, how does someone without professional training cope?