One thing that was never taught (or even talked about) in grad school was how to handle the reality that for some of us, our research ends up traumatizing us. Should we be talking about this? A short thread. 1/x @OpenAcademics @AcademicChatter

I personally study mass/school shootings. It was inevitable I would develop secondary trauma from everything I have seen and been exposed to. I have survivors of mass shootings tell me they don’t know how I do my job because while they had one bad day, I live it every day. 2/x

When it happened, I had no idea what to do. No idea how to find resources. It wasn’t discussed as an “occupational hazard.” It wasn’t discussed at all. Had I not had @FrankDiane72, I might not even be here to write this thread… most people don’t have him. 3/x

I’ve had informal conversations with others in Criminal Justice / Criminology who study equally horrific topics and they too struggle with this “occupational hazard” yet have never been provided institutional support or resources to address it. Why not? 4/x

I suspect this is not an issue endemic only to our field. How many others suffer silently while trying to push through with the research we have chosen because that is where our passion lies, regardless of the trauma we experience? 5/x

Vicarious trauma in research is more than an “occupational hazard” - it’s a life changer. We need to start talking about this more, pooling resources, and making sure people can “do their jobs” for the long haul. I would love to hear from others who are in the same boat. 6/END