Webinar: Casualty recording and mental health

On 8 March 2023, we held a webinar on the topic of ‘Casualty recording and mental health: linking casualty recording with personal, professional, and organisational mental health – the fourth in our Casualty Recording in Practice series.

We were delighted to welcome guest speakers Jocelyn Blumberg and Mary Robertson, clinical psychologists and trauma specialists from Blue Room Psychology & Trauma Services, who spoke to us about how the nature of our work can impact our mental health – specifically through being at particular risk of vicarious trauma (also often referred to as secondary PTSD or compassion fatigue) and burnout.

They spoke about four key factors that can contribute to detrimental mental health in casualty recorders:

  1. The individual (their coping strategies and personal history)
  2. The cultural context
  3. The situation
  4. Continued and repeated exposure to trauma  

Laptop screen shows presentation given by Mary Robertson. Source material: Pearlman & McKay, 2008
Laptop screen shows presentation given by Mary Robertson. Source material: Pearlman & McKay, 2008

They also shared some strategies and proposals for addressing staff well-being at a personal, professional and organisational level.

If you missed the webinar, it is available to view on demand for members of our Casualty Recorders Network. Please email: to request a viewing link.

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