According to Trippany, White Kress & Wilcoxon (2004) the impact of vicarious trauma can decrease when counselors maintain a balance of work, play and rest. Personally, I live by this motto, I believe in leaving work at work, I rarely ever bring work home. I exercise daily, which relieves stress for me and I take a vacation out of the country each year, I use this trip to refresh and relax, outside of taking in lots of sun and swimming in the ocean, each day is a blank page. In addition, about every 45 days, I treat myself to a full body massage as another technique to alleviate stress, the less stress the less likely I will experience burnout, compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. Being connected spiritually to a higher power can also combat the effects of VT. Trippany et al. (2004) noted that counselors with a larger sense of meaning and connection are less likely to experience vicarious trauma. The final strategy, I will use is the knowledge and understanding of self. This awareness will help in protecting one’s self, ensuring that I put the appropriate coping and spiritual mechanism in place when dealing with stressful events and situations. Connecting to one’s spiritual sense can alleviate the of impact vicarious trauma (Trippany et al., 2004). Personally, I believe when you are in tune with yourself and have an awareness of what affects you, you give yourself the best chance to operate…