Secondary Traumatic Stress is silently eroding educator wellbeing across Australia. What’s driving it, and how can schools respond? Education Matters investigates.
Burnout, stress, and workload pressures have long dominated discussions around teacher wellbeing. But a new national study has revealed a deeper, more insidious challenge facing educators: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), or the emotional toll of absorbing students’ trauma.
Led by Dr Adam Fraser in partnership with Deakin University and sponsored by the Australian Special Education Principals Association (ASEPA), the study surveyed nearly 2,300 educators and collected over 1,000 personal accounts of trauma exposure. The findings were stark: STS is widespread, under-recognised, and contributing to teacher attrition at alarming rates.
The report, The Silent Cost: Impact and Management of Secondary Trauma in Educators, was released in May.
“We were very surprised with so many of the findings,” Dr Fraser says. “Many educators didn’t even know this was a thing. They’d say, ‘I didn’t see it, so it shouldn’t affect me’ – but it does, dramatically.”
Research collaborator Ms Christine Armarego was equally surprised at the rate of exposure.
“I thought maybe direct trauma would be bigger, but the rates of secondary trauma were really high. And the mental health risk was the kicker – it’s independent of burnout, and burnout is already bad.”
The study found that nearly 40 per cent of educators were seriously considering leaving the profession due to STS alone. Dr Fraser describes it as akin to rust in a car – not immediately visible, but steadily accumulating over time.
“You’d expect STS to be higher early in a teacher’s career,” he says. “But it actually builds up. The longer you’re in the job, the higher your levels.”
ASEPA President Mr Matthew Johnson says the need for the study was clear.
“We’ve always known trauma is part of the job in specialist settings,” Mr Johnson says. “But we wanted to understand the cumulative impact – the silent cost. It’s not just direct injuries. It’s witnessing self-harm, hearing disclosures, and carrying that emotional load day after day.”
A broader scope
Mr Johnson explains that ASEPA funded the research to fill a gap left by broader wellbeing surveys.
“The ACU national principal health and wellbeing survey had some data, but we needed something more targeted. We wanted to look at the hidden injuries – the ones that don’t show up in a report but wear people down over time.”
Importantly, the study didn’t focus solely on specialist schools.
“We’re a small percentage of the system,” Mr Johnson says. “Most students with disabilities – around 98 per cent – are in mainstream schools. We wanted to hear from support class teachers, aides, counsellors, and educators who often fall through the cracks.”
The response was overwhelming.
“We had over a thousand open-text responses. Usually people skip those boxes [on surveys], but this time it was story after story. It was clear that educators needed a safe space to share what they’d been carrying.”
One of the most striking findings was that educators are now functioning as de facto social workers, but without the training or support.
“Educators have become the social workers of society,” Dr Fraser says. “But the education system is way behind health and social work in recognising and responding to this.”
Ms Armarego elaborates: “The difference is the relationship. A paramedic might help someone and move on. But a teacher knows that student for a year, knows the family, the siblings. They’re embedded in the trauma.”
Mr Johnson agrees, noting that the lack of systemic support is a major concern.
“Teachers might have access to an employee assistance program, but it’s not targeted, strategic or ongoing. What they need is routine professional supervision – someone to debrief with, to reflect with. Especially in high-risk roles.”
He adds that the most impacted educators were those in support classes within mainstream settings.
“They’re often alone, without an executive team around them. They’re managing complex behaviours, trauma, and neurodiversity, and then going home and ruminating. That’s where STS builds.”
Ms Armarego adds that even parents sometimes turn to teachers for guidance.
“We saw comments [in the surveys] where parents would ask teachers, ‘What do I do?’. Educators are supporting not just students, but entire families.”
A systemic gap
Mr Johnson is particularly concerned about the disconnect between initial teacher education and the realities of the classroom.
“Universities [offering teaching courses] are under pressure to deliver core content, but there’s no room for the reality of a school day. Teachers need to know what they’re walking into, especially if they’re working with students with complex needs. They also need to be prepared mentally and how to care for themselves. That gap is hurting us.”
He believes the push for curriculum standardisation has left little room for preparing teachers for trauma exposure and how to cope.
“There’s not much space. And the things that would really help – like understanding award conditions, managing stress, or working with neurodiverse students – just aren’t covered.”
Ms Armarego agrees.
“Social workers and psychologists are trained to expect trauma. They have clinical supervision. Educators don’t. Maybe we can’t clinically supervise every teacher in Australia, but we can prepare them better.”
Despite the grim statistics, the study uncovered a group of educators who were thriving – those with high exposure but low STS. Dr Fraser and Ms Armarego referred to them as ‘the diamonds’.
“They’re rare,” Ms Armarego says. “But they’ve somehow maintained their mental health and wellbeing, even under pressure.”
What sets them apart is their use of multiple mitigation strategies.
“They don’t rely on one thing,” Dr Fraser explains. “They use coping strategies, recovery techniques, and healthy detachment. Things like leisure, reflection, collaboration. Not just Netflix and wine.”
Mr Johnson says these strategies are often built into the school culture.
“In some schools, principals give additional time for teachers to work on student planning, parent collaboration, and multidisciplinary teams. That space makes a difference, but it comes at a cost. If you’re taking teachers off class, you’re staffing it somehow.”
He also points to infrastructure as a key factor.
“New specialist schools are beautifully designed. They have therapy rooms, sensory spaces, and safety features. But many educators are still working in converted classrooms that weren’t built for the complexity of today’s students.
“We’ve seen that the physical environment matters. It’s not just about aesthetics – it’s about safety, dignity, and functionality. When the infrastructure supports the work, it reduces stress.”
Ms Armarego adds that the ‘diamonds’ were not just surviving – they were thriving.
“They used at least three mitigation strategies regularly. That’s what helps them manage. It’s not magic – it’s method.”
Where to from here?
Dr Fraser and Mr Johnson are now focused on raising awareness and pushing for systemic reform. Training programs are in development, targeting schools, leaders, and individuals.
“We’re asking, what can we do as a school? As a leader? As a peer?” Dr Fraser says. “And we’re communicating this to departments. This study is the canary in the mine.”
Mr Johnson outlines key changes needed, from his perspective leading ASEPA.
“We need to reduce caseloads and class sizes in high-need settings. We need to increase access to school counsellors and psychologists. Teachers are working with students who have allied health professionals around them, but the teachers themselves don’t have that kind of support. There’s often an employee assistance program, but it’s not targeted, strategic or ongoing,” he says.
“We also need routine professional supervision for staff in high-risk roles – someone they can bounce off and get feedback from. And we need to improve infrastructure. A lot of our schools weren’t built for the complexity of the students we’re now teaching.”
He also wants to see partnerships built across government agencies for holistic student support.
“Departments across government work with our students,” Mr Johnson says. “But there’s no whole-of-student case management. Agencies operate in silos. That has to change.”
The team hopes the report will empower educators and prompt action from policymakers.
“Systems play a crucial role in assisting educators and schools with this issue, and we will continue to advocate for systemic change,” Ms Armarego says, “but, at the same time, we wanted educators to be able to read our study, and walk away with tangible actions they can do to help themselves.”
Mr Johnson is optimistic about the impact.
“We’ve shared the report with our members, and it’s resonated. Now we need departments to listen. We need to advocate not just for recognition, but for real change.”
Visit www.theflourishmovement.com to read The Silent Cost report.
Key findings from The Silent Cost report
74.9 per cent of educators surveyed scored in the medium to high range for Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), with 37.8 per cent experiencing it often or very often.
Educators experience higher STS than other caring professions:
- 21 per cent higher than psychologists
- 23 per cent higher than mental health nurses
- 34 per cent higher than paramedics
Burnout is widespread:
- 70.8 per cent of educators scored in the medium to high range
- 61.4 per cent reported feeling overwhelmed by endless workloads
Compassion Satisfaction remains high:
- 93.1 per cent of educators often or very often feel satisfaction from helping students
- 74.9 per cent believe they can make a difference through their work
Turnover risk is significant:
- 37.3 per cent of educators are likely to leave the profession due to STS
- A further 18.2 per cent are undecided
Self-care training is critical:
- Highly effective self-care training reduces STS by 7.6 per cent, burnout by 13.7 per cent, and increases compassion satisfaction by 9.8 per cent
- Poor-quality self-care training increases burnout by 30.6 per cent
Demographic risk factors:
- STS is highest among school leaders, special educators in mainstream schools, rural/remote educators, and those with 16+ years of experience
Recovery and coping matter:
- Strong negative correlations were found between STS and recovery, coping, and supervisor support
- Educators who used multiple strategies – especially those with high exposure but low STS – demonstrated greater resilience
Systemic change is essential:
- The report calls for formal recognition of STS, trauma-informed training, professional supervision, and better inter-agency collaboration
