Question: Case Study Context: You work as a support worker in a multicultural support agency providing assistance to newly arrived migrants and refugees. Unlike most

Case Study Context: You work as a support worker in a multicultural

Case Study Context: You work as a support worker in a multicultural support agency providing assistance to newly arrived migrants and refugees. Unlike most of the other workers, you are Australian born with English and Irish ancestry. You have recently joined a new team and now work closely with a colleague, Marcia. Marcia and her husband came from the Sudan as refugees, after spending many years in a refugee camp in Uganda. On arrival in Australia, Marcia was able to study a Certificate in Community Services and then found employment at your agency as a support worker. While her husband Odi had higher level qualifications in Sudan, he has been unable to have his qualifications recognised here in Australia and has found difficulty gaining employment. At present he is unemployed and provides the primary care for their three school aged children. 2. Answer the following questions: a) Describe and explain Vicarious Trauma. (75 words) b) Describe and explain Compassion Fatigue. (75 words) Part 1 One afternoon Marcia came back from a home visit very distressed. The family she had been visiting were refugees from Rwanda who had been having a very difficult time settling into Australia. There had been a lot of marital tension, with both parents showing signs of trauma from their experiences in Africa. Marcia recounts to you that when she visited on this occasion, she found that the husband in the family had been arrested for violently assaulting his wife on the previous weekend after he found her talking with another male from the area. The mother had been taken to hospital but was released the following day with her broken arm in plaster. The children had stayed overnight with a neighbour. Child Safety Services had also become involved with the family after this event, as the Police were concerned not just about the Domestic Violence but also were worried that the children were showing signs of physical abuse (related to excessive discipline by both parents). When Marcia arrived, the mother was distraught, felt terrible about her husband being arrested, didn't understand the intervention of Child Safety and was generally feeling helpless and hopeless. Marcia begins talking with you about the case. Marcia said that she 'felt frozen' in the face of this mother's plight and she couldn't even communicate any sympathy for her. She tells you how tired she is of trying to help families - she said that in the refugee camp in Uganda everyone used to come to her to sort out their problems. However she seems to be exceedingly distressed and begins to talk about her own home situation where it appears at times in the past months her husband has become violent not only with her but also with the children. She asks you not to tell anyone else at work as she really needs the job and doesn't want anything to interfere with her employment. She says that Odi has a lot of problems and doesn't really mean to hurt anyone but he can't accept that some things are not allowed in Australia whereas they were permitted 'at home'. c) What indications can you identify in Marcia's situation that might suggest Vicarious Trauma and/or Compassion Fatigue? (50 words) d) Vicarious Trauma Compassion Fatigue A massive indication of Compassion Fatigue is Marcia not be able to show any emotional sympathy or being helpful to the mother as the mother situation reminded of her past life in Sudan where she helped everyone who came up to her at the refugee camp thus being fully burnout and feeling compassion fatigue Out of concern for Marcia's own health and wellbeing, list four (4) suggestions you might make to help her with these personal/professional issues.

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