Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) is one of the least understood — and most under-recognised — occupational hazards in homelessness services. Unlike burnout, which develops over time, STS can develop quickly — even after a single exposure to deeply distressing material.
Workers in homelessness services regularly hear accounts of violence, abuse, loss, and profound suffering. This is the nature of the work. But the human nervous system was not designed to process unlimited quantities of other people's pain without effect. Secondary Traumatic Stress is what happens when that processing breaks down.
This module explains what STS is, how it differs from vicarious trauma and burnout, what its symptoms look like, and — importantly — what you and your organisation can do to manage and prevent it.
This is a Developing-level module, building on Burnout and Vicarious Trauma: Recognising the Signs.