Therapists’ Past Traumatic Experiences, Compassion Fatigue and the Consequent Work Performance: A Case of Professional Therapists in Eldoret, Kenya

Abstract

This study aimed at establishing the impact of past traumatic experiences on the performance of professional therapists drawn from a group of professional therapists (N=84) working in Eldoret, Kenya. A simple random sampling procedure was used to select a sample of 61 professional therapists. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The proQOL scale was the primary instrument used to collect data. Analysis of data involved descriptive and inferential statistics using STATA version 12 SE. The findings of the study indicated that 70% of the professional therapists presented with compassion fatigue. The study found that 31% of those who had experienced traumatic events had their performance affected while 69% did not have their performance affected. The study also showed that professional therapists with high levels of compassion fatigue had almost four times increased risk of having their performance affected compared to their counterparts with average compassion fatigue. The study recommended that professional therapists handling trauma victims should seek regular supervision in order to overcome the effects of both primary and secondary traumatisation, and also to remain high functional and effective in their careers.