Professions such as social workers, therapists, nurses, doctors, law enforcement officers, dispatchers, and fire fighters experience high levels of work stress that is different than work stress in other fields.  The stress and emotional impact from helping others who are often in very dangerous, possibly life threatening situations, is one that is not easily left at the office.  These types of professions often involve helping people who have experienced violence, assault, and/or unexpected loss. These are also professions where interactions with people who have addictions, mental illness, and criminal history is extremely common.  As a result, professionals can find themselves overwhelmed by these interactions.  It can be difficult to know what to do with the leftover thoughts, emotions, images, and energy of such high intensity and emotionally charged situations.  

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Helping professionals and First Responders often struggle to find appropriate outlets in managing this sort of "secondary trauma."  They are reluctant to confide in family members or loved ones because  the details of their work are upsetting for people to hear.  Internalizing these experiences is common but often ineffective.  Therapy can provide an outlet where the difficult details and full range of emotions regarding such intense interactions can be fully explored and expressed.  Therapy can provide a safe container and environment to let all of the intensity out, where otherwise it feels like the outside world offers few opportunities to effectively do so.

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