Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Courtroom: Suggestions for Preventing Vicarious Trauma Resulting from Child Sexual Abuse Imagery

DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12137
AuthorElizabeth Bailey,Shely Polak,Rebecca Bailey
Published date01 June 2019
Date01 June 2019
Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Courtroom:
Suggestions for Preventing Vicarious Trauma
Resulting from Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
By Shely Polak, Rebecca Bailey, and Elizabeth Bailey
ABSTRACT
The internet and social media have added to an increase in sexual imagery. As a
result, law enforcement, judicial officers and court ordered counselors will be exposed
to an increase of images. While not every individual will experience post-traumatic
stress symptoms, it is anticipated there is risk for impact. The impact of viewing
images can include an increase in vicarious trauma symptoms, burnout, and a possi-
ble decrease in impartiality. This paper offers suggestions for self-care in the services
of preventing collateral damage.
Key words: Courtroom and stress, Child Sexual Abuse Image (CSAI), Child Sexual Abuse
Imagery and secondary traumatic stress, Secondary traumatic stress, Courtroom related trauma,
Child pornography and traumatic stress, Child pornography and secondary traumatic stress.
With continued developments and advancements in technology, there has been a
steady increase in the availability of child sexual abuse imagery (CSAI). Child sexual
abuse images (CSAI) refers to children under the age of eighteen years who have been sex-
ually abused offline with images of their abuse recorded and subsequently distributed
Shely Polak, Ph.D., M.S.W., R.S.W., Acc.FM., is a clinical social worker, accredited family media-
tor Clinical Director of Mackenzie Clinic: Family Counselling and Social Work Services in Richmond Hill,
ON Canada. Dr. Polak’s has worked with high conflict separating/divorcing families conducting assess-
ments, professional consultations, expert testimony, mediation, arbitration, therapy and parenting coordina-
tion for over 10 years. Dr. Polak provides training to judges, lawyers and mental health professionals and
has presented at numerous international conferences.
Dr. Rebecca Bailey is the developer of Transitioning Families, an innovative, family-based program
for therapeutic reunification and reintegration, in California. Dr. Bailey received her doctoral degree from
The Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA in 1993. She is a nationally recognized expert on abduction and a reg-
ular consultant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Virginia. She is
co-author, with her sister Elizabeth, of the book Safe Kids, Smart Parents (Simon & Schuster, 2013).
Elizabeth Bailey is a registered nurse, board certified in psychiatric-mental health care. She was a
staff nurse on the med/psych unit at the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA for 11 years. She com-
pleted a master’s program in clinical psychology and is close to finishing the licensing process as a Marriage
and Family Therapist in California.
Juvenile and Family Court Journal 70, No. 2
©2019 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
69

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