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IRAQ WAR VET COUNSELORS BATTLING TRAUMATIC

STRESS -- He finds himself battling some of the same

symptoms he's treating in his patients.

 

 

Story here... http://cbs5.com/
local/local_story_118010014.html

Story below:

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Iraq War Vet Counselors Battling Traumatic Stress

Sharon Chin
Reporting

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO Chad Peterson has never set foot in Iraq or Afghanistan, but he's felt the horror of those wars as if he'd fought on the battlefield.

"It was that kicked-in-the-stomach kind of feeling," said Peterson.

At the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco, Peterson has spent thousands of hours counseling combat veterans with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Now, he finds himself battling some of the same symptoms he's treating in his patients.

The problem is called "compassion fatigue" or "secondary PTSD."

"You're sitting with a friend of yours. He or she is sad. You're going to feel a little sad. Really, what it is is taking in the feelings of the person you're trying to help," Peterson explained.

Peterson remembers feeling panic and fear while talking a soldier out of suicide. The veteran had just found out he'd be deployed to Iraq a second time.

A military survey found compassion fatigue affects one in three psychiatrists and counselors who treat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Peterson noticed signs of compassion fatigue -- including physical changes -- in his own body. Symptoms of compassion fatigue can include anger, anxiety, depression, insomnia, hyper-vigilance, nightmares, and burnout.

"I feel helpless. I couldn't help that person. I've got to figure out some way to help them," Peterson said.

He said that while VA and the military provide seminars, workshops and training for counselors, there is no formal, organized treatment for caregivers with compassion fatigue.

"Self-care is the buzzword," he said.

Peterson's stress relievers range from looking at the screen saver of his dog, to talking with colleagues, and taking vacations.

"Get enough sleep. Exercise. Have friends. Don't drink too much. Talk to people. Develop a life outside of work so there are a lot of things to fall back on to help you feel good," he advised.

Some counselors with compassion fatigue are reluctant to reveal they need therapy, because they fear their patients will stop treatment out of concern their memories are hurting their doctors.

But Peterson assures his patients not to worry.

"Just seeing people get better is a reward. It allows you to say, 'Okay, I'm doing something.' "

And that keeps him on the front lines of treatment, in spite of the trauma.

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Larry Scott  --