I remember meeting a suicide prevention call center volunteer. She was a wreck, thin and pale. Vicarious suffering was taking such a toll on her that friends and family were pushing her to back off for a while to recover. Understanding self-care and vicarious suffering is really important when working with vulnerable populations. I recall listening to a psychiatrist talk about how to tell if someone is suicidal and he said, “They don’t comb their hair.” He meant that they don’t practice any self-care. More…

| Darlene Pawlik