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The Hidden Cost of Security: A Short Guide to Understanding Vicarious Trauma

In a new booklet, NCITE researchers Joseph Young, Ph.D., and Daisy Muibu, Ph.D., illustrate the impact of exposure to violent material on the counterterrorism workforce and what can be done to address it.

A digital illustration of a man with short, unkempt hair and a worried expression sitting on a green couch in a dimly lit room. He wears a light blue button-up shirt and brown pants. A lamp on a wooden side table to his left casts a dramatic beam of light, creating a stark contrast between illuminated and shadowed areas. The background is mostly dark, emphasizing the man’s expression of distress or contemplation. White text in the upper right reads 'The Hidden Cost of Security: A Short Guide to Understanding Vicarious Trauma.'

In their mission to protect the nation, counterterrorism and counterextremism professionals are often exposed to violent and traumatic material, including graphic images and firsthand accounts of abuse and violence. For many, this can take a profound toll – professionally and personally.

In an NCITE-funded project, researchers Joseph Young and Daisy Muibu explore the effects of vicarious trauma on the counterterrorism workforce. In a new comic, based on their research, the research team illustrates what this trauma can look like and how those affected by it can heal.

Read the Report

A cover of the Vicarious Trauma publication

WEBINAR: Building Resilience in the Counterterrorism Workforce

On Dec. 5, 2024, Young and Muibu joined NCITE for a webinar about their work exploring trauma in the counterterrorism workforce. Watch it above.