Objectives: The aim of the present study was to perform an assessment for secondary traumatic stress (STS), vicarious trauma (VT) and workplace burnout for Australian mental health professionals involved in clinical practice. Methods: Recruited directly by mail, randomly selected participants were invited to submit a questionnaire by post or online. Of the 480 participants contacted, 152 mental health professionals completed the questionnaire, which contained measures of STS, VT and burnout. Results: Exposure to patients’ traumatic material did not affect STS, VT or burnout, contradicting the theory of the originators of STS and VT. Rather, it was found that work-related stressors best predicted therapist distress. Conclusions: These findings have significant implications for the direction of research and theory development in traumatic stress studies, calling into question the existence of secondary trauma-related phenomena and enterprises aimed at treating the consultants.

The application of psychological debriefing has become an expected and widespread intervention following exposure to trauma. This article assesses the wisdom of such an approach and reports upon expert consensus regarding its use. Meta-analytic and narrative reviews are summarised and areas of agreement and disagreement are outlined. In sum, it was concluded that the majority of people do not become traumatised from stressful events; that generic psychological debriefing, when applied to individuals, appears to have little impact on functioning; that a specific form of debriefing called Critical Incident Stress Debriefing holds the possibility of noxious effects for some participants and that those most deleteriously affected by debriefing appear to be those most distressed by the initial trauma; that there is no randomised controlled trial evidence to support the validity of group debriefing approaches; and that early intervention using Cognitive Behavioural techniques for those with clinically significant presentations appears the most promising approach. A generic set of guidelines for intervention following trauma is provided.

The application of psychological debriefing has become an expected and widespread intervention following exposure to trauma. This article assesses the wisdom of such an approach and reports upon expert consensus regarding its use. Meta-analytic and narrative reviews are summarised and areas of agreement and disagreement are outlined. In sum, it was concluded that the majority of people do not become traumatised from stressful events; that generic psychological debriefing, when applied to individuals, appears to have little impact on functioning; that a specific form of debriefing called Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or Critical Incident Stress Management holds the possibility of noxious effects for some participants and that those most deleteriously affected by debriefing appear to be those most distressed by the initial trauma; that there is no randomised controlled trial evidence to support and differentiate impact from group debriefing approaches; and that early intervention using Cognitive Behavioural techniques for those with clinically significant presentations appears the most promising approach. A generic set of guidelines for intervention following trauma is provided.

A aplicação do chamado debriefing psicológico (DP) tornou-se uma intervenção disseminada e esperada após a exposição ao trauma. Este artigo avalia a validade desse enfoque e relata o consenso entre os especialistas em relação ao seu uso. Revisões sistemáticas e narrativas são resumidas e as áreas de acordo e desacordo são delineadas. Em resumo, conclui-se que a maioria das pessoas não fica traumatizada devido a eventos estressantes; que o DP parece ter pequeno impacto; que uma forma de DP chamada de "debriefing sobre o incidente crítico (DICE)" pode exercer efeitos nocivos em certos indivíduos e que aqueles com efeitos mais negativos devido ao DP parecem ser os que mais sofreram com o trauma inicial. Não há ensaios clínicos randomizados que sustentem a validade do DP em grupo. A intervenção precoce Cognitivo-Comportamental parece ser o enfoque mais promissor em pacientes com apresentações clínicas bem definidas. É oferecido um conjunto genérico de diretrizes para a intervenção pós-trauma.