Abstract
The relationship between Child Welfare Services (CWS) social workers’ use of empathy and their risk of exposure to vicarious trauma (VT) during the course of their work was studied. It was hypothesized that CWS social workers that consistently and effectively use empathy in their interactions with clients also expose themselves to greater levels of VT. The study sample consisted of 28 social workers employed by a county CWS agency in northern California. The participants completed a survey focused on empathy and VT, and they also answered demographic questions. This study tested 11 hypotheses regarding the relationship between empathy and the level of VT, and nine hypotheses were confirmed. Implications, limitations, and future direction are also discussed.