Mental health support for secondary trauma?

I’ve been living and working in New York and am on the hunt for a good feminist therapist who understands the motivations behind and frustrations of social justice work and also knows something about secondary/vicarious trauma.  I’m not sure how to find this person/people, so I thought I’d try crowd-sourcing in hopes of some leads.

A bit of background/details on me and what I’m looking for: I work in immigration legal services with survivors of gender-related crimes (mostly domestic violence, but also human trafficking, sexual assault, etc.).  I’ve been noticing some signs of secondary trauma in myself, and am somewhat aghast at the lack of support for legal service providers in this area.  We’re not social workers, so we don’t get supervision, but I still spend a good portion of almost every work day listening to details of people’s horrific experiences and am often in need of some debriefing and perspective on how it affects my life both at work and outside.

I’m one to tell people that we are not taking their case or let them know that we can’t proceed with it.  I am also the first point of contact for people seeking services, so I am on the answering end of a phone that rings almost all the time.  Therefore, I not only have to screen them based on somewhat arbitrary legal eligibility standards, I am also exposed to what sometimes seems like an overwhelming tide of need.  The successes we have (i.e. getting people green cards, reuniting them with their children/parents, and seeing our clients get back on their feet and move on with their lives) keep me motivated to keep going, but those successes are somewhat few and far between, especially when contrasted with the need.

All of which is to say, I love my job, I find it fulfilling and worthwhile, and I’m worried about my ability to continue doing it/working in the field of women’s rights and violence against women at all after much more time.  So.  I find myself in need of therapy, and maybe also support groups and friends who do similar work.  My friends are sympathetic and empathetic, and generally supportive and wonderful, but sometimes I just want to talk with someone who can relate to what I’m dealing with.

Now, it’s one thing to recognize and act on that need (note that it has taken me over a year to get to this point), and another to actually find the resources to fulfill it.  I’ve tried asking around to acquaintances, and the conclusion seems to be “yeah, that would be great to find!”  So, as always, I’m turning to the internet.

If you’re a New Yorker: therapist suggestions?  Any interest in forming a support group if such a thing doesn’t already exist?

Thanks in advance!

Disclaimer: This post was written by a Feministing Community user and does not necessarily reflect the views of any Feministing columnist, editor, or executive director.

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