Vicarious trauma
Working in a helping profession with traumatised people can involve additional impacts from the emotional strain involved. Professionals are indirectly exposed to other people’s traumatic experiences on a daily basis. The impacts are cumulative and gradually build over time to negatively impact personal wellbeing, relationships with others and views about the world, other people and oneself. This is known as vicarious trauma.
Vicarious trauma is a significant concern for service providers within the family and sexual violence (FSV), sorcery-accusation-related violence (SARV) and gender-based violence (GBV) network in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Organisations in PNG work in challenging environments that include limited access to resources and high rates of violence. These professionals are exposed daily to devastating stories of abuse and violence, making them particularly vulnerable to the cumulative impacts of vicarious trauma.
At Femili PNG there are systems in place to allow their caseworkers to debrief and reflect, however the organisation aims for continuous improvement in the quality of its case management services for survivors of FSV and SARV.
Strengthening service providers: continuing professional development for effective coping strategies
FemiliPNG Australia has partnered with the Cairnmillar Institute (CMI) to help build further valuable skills in casework supervision and healthy coping mechanisms for Femili PNG staff. The CMI is a leading not-for-profit centre for psychological services, education and research. The CMI is based in Australia and is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of individuals, families and communities by providing innovative and accessible mental health care and education. Through this partnership, the CMI demonstrate their commitment through providing pro-bono accredited training in PNG.
In 2023-24 under the Strongim Femili PNG program, the CMI built organisational capability for Femili PNG’s case management team in psychological first aid, counselling, and clinical supervision to improve their knowledge and applicable skills in providing successful case management services. CMI trainers worked with the FemiliPNG Australia Development Advisor, Femili PNG Outreach and Training Officer and Caseworkers to adapt training materials to suit the PNG context. This ensured that the training met the unique needs of Femili PNG staff and the communities they serve.
Following the success of this training, staff and stakeholders identified a growing needed for accredited counselling training particularly for other organisations that work with survivors of FSV, and SARV. In 2024-25 the CMI increased their training commitments and provided a number of accredited mental health first aid and counselling trainings to members of the Femili PNG referral network under the Stronger Together Project. The project addresses vicarious trauma among service providers, equipping them with the skills needed to manage the emotional and psychological toll of their work.
The Stronger Together project also works towards enhancing service quality, improving staff well-being and strengthening systems long-term. By fostering a healthier and more resilient workforce, it helps staff better cope with the daily challenges of working in a high-stress environment, ultimately reducing burnout and turnover. This project will continue until December 2025.
Partnerships and Acknowledgements
Cairnmillar Institute
FemiliPNG Australia greatly appreciates the generosity of the CMI. Particularly, CEO and Provost Professor, Kathryn von Treuer, and Course Director – Graduate Internship Program, Dr Renzo Vittorino. Participants have left their trainings feeling confident in their ability to be quality mental-health care providers in a context where access to mental-health support has been limited.
In addition to the increased commitments, the CMI and the McKean Clarke Foundation graciously opened three scholarships to Femili PNG caseworkers to study a Diploma of Counselling with the CMI via virtual learning. The three caseworkers selected are progressing to complete their studies by the end of 2025.
Click here to learn more about the CMI.
Palladium
The Stronger Together Project is supported by the Palladium funded Kyeema Foundation ‘Our Community Fund’. This project addresses the critical need for improved understanding and support regarding the emotional impact on service providers working with survivors of violence.
Click here to learn more about Palladium.
Newmont PNG
The Strongim Femili PNG program, is funded by the valuable contribution of Newmont PNG. The Strongim Femili PNG program seeks to address the gap in human resources in FSV services in PNG, by providing training and development opportunities to Femili PNG personnel.