QUESTIONNAIRE BATTERY FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Thank-you for accessing this website. If you have come across this site and would like to read further about the research project, please access the information sheet (pdf or word).

If you have already read the information sheet and are agreeing to take part in this research, thankyou. I would like to reassure you that the information you provide will remain completely confidential. No personally identifying information will be sought or kept. Please write a 6 digit number and 2 letters (any order) in the box printed below and keep a record of it. We ask this so that if you decide to withdraw from the study at a later date you can quote that number and your questionnaire data can be located and destroyed. This is optional - if you don't want that safeguard then please do not enter any ID numbers.

It is anticipated that it will take 20-45 minutes to complete this questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of three sections: In Section 1 you are asked to answer some basic demographic questions. In Section 2 you are asked some questions related to your work as a mental health professional. Finally, in Section 3 you are asked to complete some brief measures relating to negative affect and empathy.

If you have any further questions, please contact the researchers: Renée Wright, by e-mail, r.wright1@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au Alternatively you can contact Prof Grant Devilly on (03) 9214 5920 or gdevilly@swin.edu.au. The aggregated results of this research will be made available to you on this website by the end of 2004.

Please answer all of the questions before pressing the 'submit' button at the end of the questionnaire. A prompt will remind you to answer any unanswered questions.

If you would rather a paper version of the questionnaire please email us and we will send you one.

These questions are demographic in nature and provide important information about who you are and your personal experience.

	Type of Event	Date of last occurrence (mm/yy)	No. of times experienced the event	Level of distress experienced
	Type of Event	Date of last occurrence (mm/yy)	No. of times experienced the event	At the Time	Currently
1	Serious accident, fire or explosion
2	Natural disaster (e.g. flood, earthquake, hurricane)
3	Non-sexual assault by someone you know (e.g. being mugged, shot, stabbed, attacked)
4	Non-sexual assault by a stranger (e.g., being mugged, shot, stabbed, attacked)
5	Sexual assault by someone you know (e.g., rape, attempted rape)
6	Sexual assault by a stranger (e.g., rape, attempted rape)
7	Military combat or war zone
8	Imprisonment (e.g., hostage, prison inmate, prisoner of war)
9	Torture
10	Witnessed any of the above
11	Life-threatening or very serious illness
12	Unexpected death of someone close
13	Abortion or miscarriage (women only)
14	Other: (Please specify)
15	Other: (Please specify)
16	I do not wish to specify the event, but one has occurred

Part 2 Professional Information

The following questions are all related to your work as a mental health professional. These questions allow us to see how your professional experiences compare to those of other mental health professionals, and to determine how your professional experiences might have influenced you.

1.	a)	What is your *profession*?
	b)	What is your current *employment status*?
	c)	How many *hours* per week do you work as a mental health professional? hours
	d)	For *how long* have you worked as a mental health professional? years
	e)	*How many clients* do you see in an average week? clients per week.
	f)	*How much time do you spend*, on average, with each client (weekly)?
	g)	On average *how many days would you take off work* over a 3-month period, excluding weekends but including vacations, RDO's and sick-days? days

2.	a)	What is your *primary therapeutic orientation* (eg. CBT, gestalt, psychodynamic etc)?
	b)	What *client groups do you predominantly work with* (e.g., all client groups, children, adolescents, adults, older adults)? Please specify where appropriate male/female or any specific disabilities etc.
	c)	Do you *specialise* in providing therapy for a particular psychological problem/issue? If so, please identify which.

3.	a)	Do you work for your self? (Please select) Yes (Go to Qu. 3c) No Partly
	b)	Did you receive *workplace orientation/induction* when you began working for your current employer? (Please select) Yes No Not Applicable
	c)	Do you *work in a team? (Please select) Yes No* (Go to Qu. 3e)
	d)	Please indicate the *size of the team,* by placing a number in the box? people
	e)	Do you consider your *work environment to be a supportive* one?
	f)	Do you consider your *workload to be reasonable*, in terms of the demands placed on you?
	g)	How *conflicting are the demands* *placed on you* in your workplace? (demands could include expectations regarding client turnover, therapeutic integrity, time constraints etc.)
	h)	To what degree do you feel as though you have a *clear idea of what is expected of you* in your position?

4.	a)	Do you access *supervision* regarding your therapeutic work? (Please select) Yes, regularly No Only when needed Not Applicable
	b)	If you answered yes, *how many hours per month* would you use supervision?

5.	a)	How do you feel that your general *work as a mental health professional has affected you* personally?
	b)	*Do you feel satisfied* with your work as a mental health professional generally?
	c)	What do you do to *deal with stress from work*? (select those that apply)
		1) Talk to co-workers 2) Talk to a superior 3) Talk to family/friends 4) Seek supervision 5) Take a break at work 6) Take time off work/reduce hours 7) Use personal relaxation techniques	8) Meditation/yoga 9) Socialise 10) Exercise 11) Consume alcohol/non-prescription medication 12) Seek medical advice 13) Nothing
6.	a)	What proportion of your caseload is dedicated to *working with clients who have suffered a traumatic experience* of some type, where your work addresses the trauma or its direct effects? To assist in determining whether an experience/event was ‘traumatic’, the DSM-IV definition requires that 1) the experience involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others (experienced directly, witnessed or learned through another); and 2) that the person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror (in children, this may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behaviour). % of my caseload (Go to Question 7 if your answer here is 0%)
	b)	For *what length of time* have you worked with clients who have suffered a traumatic experience (currently or in the past)? Please round off to the nearest 6 months (eg. If your answer is 4 years and 3 months, write 4.5 in the box provided): years
	c)	Could you estimate the number of hours (on average) you spend each week, working therapeutically with traumatised clients, where you specifically address their trauma-related issues (eg. not on other unrelated psychological issues): hours per week
	d)	In your work with traumatised clients, what is the *primary treatment approach you use* (eg. exposure alone, CBT with exposure, Cognitive Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, EMDR, Psychoanalytic Therapy etc)? Please write the one approach you use most often in the box below.
	e)	How do you feel that your *work with trauma clients has affected you* personally?
	f)	What proportion of your traumatised clients are victims of crime? % (go to Qu. 7 if 0%)
	g)	What are your clients who are *victims of crime* and who meet the criteria for a psychiatric/ psychological disorder, *most often diagnosed with?*
	h)	*What problem/s* do the majority of clients whom are *victims of crime* seek specific help with?

7.	a)	a) To what degree do you expect that working with clients who have suffered a trauma is likely to lead to the therapist also developing symptoms of trauma-related stress?
	b)	Have you ever heard of Secondary Traumatic Stress? Yes No (Go to Qu.7d)
	c)	If you answered yes to Question 7b, how did you find out about?
	d)	Do you think that you might suffer from *Secondary Traumatic Stress?* Yes No (Go to Section 3) Don't know
	e)	If you answered ‘Yes’ or 'I don't know' to the previous question, for *how long* (in months) do you think you have/might have suffered from Secondary Traumatic Stress? months

Section 3

The questions in the first part of this section relate to your experience of negative affect.

1. These questions look at your general levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Please read each statement and select a number 0, 1, 2,or 3 which best indicates how much the statement applied to you over the past week. There are no right or wrong answers. Do not spend too much time on any statement.

0 = Did not apply to me at all

1 = Applied to me to some degree, or some of the time

2 = Applied to me a considerable degree, or a good part of the time

3 = Applied to me very much, or most of the time

1	I found it hard to wind down	1	2	3
2	I was aware of dryness of my mouth	1	2	3
3	I couldn't seem to experience any positive feeling at all	1	2	3
4	I experienced breathing difficulty (e.g., excessively rapid breathing, breathlessness in the absence of physical exertion)	1	2	3
5	I found it difficult to work up the initiative to do things	1	2	3
6	I tended to over-react to situations	1	2	3
7	I experienced trembling (e.g.in the hands)	1	2	3
8	I felt that I was using a lot of nervous energy	1	2	3
9	I was worried about situations in which I might panic and make a fool of myself	1	2	3
10	I felt that I had nothing to look forward to	1	2	3
11	I found myself getting agitated	1	2	3
12	I found it difficult to relax	1	2	3
13	I felt down-hearted and blue	1	2	3
14	I was intolerant of anything that kept me from getting on with what I was doing	1	2	3
15	I felt I was close to panic	1	2	3
16	I was unable to become enthusiastic about anything	1	2	3
17	I felt I wasn't worth much as a person	1	2	3
18	I felt that I was rather touchy	1	2	3
19	I was aware of the action of my heart in the absence of physical exertion (e.g., sense of heart rate increase, heart missing a beat)	1	2	3
20	I felt scared without any good reason	1	2	3
21	I felt that life was meaningless	1	2	3

2. This measure looks at the negative effects of work. The following is a list of statements made by persons who have been impacted by their work with clients. Read each statement, then indicate how frequently the statement was true for you in the past seven (7) days by circling the corresponding number next to the statement.

1	2	3	4
Never	Rarely	Occasionally	Very Often

1	I felt emotionally numb	1	2	3	4
2	My heart started pounding when I thought about my work with clients	1	2	3	4
3	It seemed as if I was reliving the trauma(s) experienced by my client(s)	1	2	3	4
4	I had trouble sleeping	1	2	3	4
5	I felt discouraged about the future	1	2	3	4
6	Reminders of my work with clients upset me	1	2	3	4
7	I had little interest in being around others	1	2	3	4
8	I felt jumpy	1	2	3	4
9	I was less active than usual	1	2	3	4
10	I thought about my work with clients when I didn’t intend to	1	2	3	4
11	I had trouble concentrating	1	2	3	4
12	I avoided people, places or things that reminded me of my work with clients	1	2	3	4
13	I had disturbing dreams about my work with clients	1	2	3	4
14	I wanted to avoid working with some clients	1	2	3	4
15	I was easily annoyed	1	2	3	4
16	I expected something bad to happen	1	2	3	4
17	I noticed gaps in my memory about client sessions	1	2	3	4

3. a) This measure looks at how your work might have negatively affected you. The following are a list of questions about how you might feel. Please read each statement and select a number from 0-4 (where 0=Never/almost never and 4=Always) to indicate how frequently you feel that way.

0	1	2	3	4
Never/almost never	Seldom	Sometimes	Often	Always

1	How often do you feel tired?	1	2	3	4
2	Do you have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time?	1	2	3	4
3	How often are you physically exhausted?	1	2	3	4
4	Are you exhausted in the morning at the thought of another day at work?	1	2	3	4
5	How often are you emotionally exhausted?	1	2	3	4
6	Are you tired of working with clients?	1	2	3	4
7	How often do you think: "I can’t take it anymore"?	1	2	3	4
8	Do you sometimes wonder how long you will be able to continue working with clients?	1	2	3	4
9	How often do you feel worn out?	1	2	3	4
10	How often do you feel weak and susceptible to illness?	1	2	3	4
11	Do you feel worn out at the end of the working day?	1	2	3	4
12	Do you feel that every working hour is tiring for you?	1	2	3	4

3. b) The following are a list of questions about how you might feel. Please read each question, and select a number from 0-4 (where 0=to a very low degree and 4=to a very high degree) to indicate the extent to which you agree with the question.

0	1	2	3	4
To a very low degree	To a low degree	Somewhat	To a high degree	To a very high degree

1	Is your work emotionally exhausting?	1	2	3	4
2	Do you find it hard to work with clients?	1	2	3	4
3	Do you feel burnt out because of your work?	1	2	3	4
4	Do you find it frustrating to work with clients?	1	2	3	4
5	Does your work frustrate you?	1	2	3	4
6	Do you feel that you give more than you get back when you work with clients?	1	2	3	4
7	Does it drain your energy to work with clients?	1	2	3	4

4. This measure looks at how you view yourself and others. Please read through the statements below and select a number from 1-6 for each statement (where 1=Disagree strongly and 6=Agree strongly), which you feel most closely matches your own beliefs about yourself and your world. There are no right or wrong answers.

1	2	3	4	5	6
Disagree strongly	Disagree	Disagree somewhat	Agree somewhat	Agree	Agree strongly

1	I generally feel safe from danger	1	2	3	4	5	6
2	People are wonderful	1	2	3	4	5	6
3	I find myself worrying a lot about my safety	1	2	3	4	5	6
4	I’m reasonably comfortable about the safety of those I care about	1	2	3	4	5	6
5	Most people destroy what they build	1	2	3	4	5	6
6	I often think the worst of others	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	I believe I can protect myself if my thoughts become self-destructive	1	2	3	4	5	6
8	You can’t trust anyone	1	2	3	4	5	6
9	Sometimes I think I’m more concerned with the safety of others than they are	1	2	3	4	5	6
10	Other people are no good	1	2	3	4	5	6
11	Sometimes when I’m with other people, I feel disconnected	1	2	3	4	5	6
12	People shouldn’t place too much trust in their friends	1	2	3	4	5	6
13	My capacity to harm myself scares me sometimes	1	2	3	4	5	6
14	For the most part I like other people	1	2	3	4	5	6
15	I usually feel safe when I am alone	1	2	3	4	5	6
16	If I really need them, people will come through for me	1	2	3	4	5	6
17	This world is filled with emotionally disturbed people	1	2	3	4	5	6
18	For the most part I can protect myself from harm	1	2	3	4	5	6
19	Some of my happiest experiences involve other people	1	2	3	4	5	6
20	There are many people to whom I feel close and connected	1	2	3	4	5	6
21	Sometimes I’m afraid of what I might do to myself	1	2	3	4	5	6
22	I often feel cut off and distant from other people	1	2	3	4	5	6
23	I worry a lot about the safety of loved ones	1	2	3	4	5	6
24	I don’t experience much love from anyone	1	2	3	4	5	6
25	Even when I’m with other people I feel alone	1	2	3	4	5	6
26	When I’m alone, I don’t feel safe	1	2	3	4	5	6
27	I can depend on my friends to be there when I need them	1	2	3	4	5	6
28	I feel out of touch with people	1	2	3	4	5	6
29	Most people are basically good at heart	1	2	3	4	5	6
30	I’m often afraid I will harm myself	1	2	3	4	5	6
31	I feel able to control whether I harm others	1	2	3	4	5	6
32	I don’t have a lot of respect for the people closest to me	1	2	3	4	5	6
33	I enjoy feeling like part of my community	1	2	3	4	5	6
34	The important people in my life are relatively safe from danger	1	2	3	4	5	6
35	Most people don’t keep the promises they make	1	2	3	4	5	6
36	Trusting other people is generally not very smart	1	2	3	4	5	6
37	I fear my capacity to harm others	1	2	3	4	5	6
38	People who trust too much are foolish	1	2	3	4	5	6
39	When my loved ones aren’t with me, I fear they may be in danger	1	2	3	4	5	6
40	At times my actions pose a danger to others	1	2	3	4	5	6
41	I generally don’t believe the things people tell me	1	2	3	4	5	6

5. This measure looks at your beliefs regarding the external resources or social supports available to you. It consists of a list of statements, each of which may or may not be true about you. For each statement select 1 (definitely false) if you are sure the statement is false and 2 (probably false) if you think it is false but are not absolutely certain. Similarly you should select 3 (probably true) if you think it is true but are not absolutely certain and 4 (definitely true) if you are sure it is true about you.

1	2	3	4
Definitely false	Probably false	Probably true	Definitely true

1	If I wanted to go on a trip for a day (for example, to the country or mountains), I would have a hard time finding someone to go with me.	1	2	3	4
2	I feel that there is no one I can share my most private worries and fears with.	1	2	3	4
3	If I were sick, I could easily find someone to help me with my daily chores.	1	2	3	4
4	There is someone I can turn to for advice about handling problems with my family.	1	2	3	4
5	If I decide one afternoon that I would like to go to a movie that evening, I could easily find someone to go with me.	1	2	3	4
6	When I need suggestions on how to deal with a personal problem, I know someone I can turn to.	1	2	3	4
7	I don't often get invited to do things with others.	1	2	3	4
8	If I had to go out of town for a few weeks, it would be difficult to find someone who would look after my house or apartment (the plants, pets, garden, etc.).	1	2	3	4
9	If I wanted to have lunch with someone, I could easily find someone to join me.	1	2	3	4
10	If I was stranded 10 miles from home, there is someone I could call who could come and get me.	1	2	3	4
11	If a family crisis arose, it would be difficult to find someone who could give me good advice about how to handle it.	1	2	3	4
12	If I needed some help in moving to a new house or apartment, I would have a hard time finding someone to help me.	1	2	3	4

6. The following statements inquire about your thoughts and feelings in a variety of situations. For each item, indicate how well it describes you by selecting the appropriate number on the scale below, where 1=Not at all well and 5=Very well. Read each item carefully before responding, and answer as honestly and as accurately as you can how well it describes you:

1	2	3	4	5
Not at all well	Not that well	Couldn't say either way	Quite well	Very well

1	I daydream and fantasise, with some regularity, about things that might happen to me.	1	2	3	4	5
2	I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me.	1	2	3	4	5
3	I sometimes find it difficult to see things from the "other guy’s" point of view.	1	2	3	4	5
4	Sometimes I don’t feel very sorry for other people when they are having problems.	1	2	3	4	5
5	I really get involved with the feelings of the characters in a novel.	1	2	3	4	5
6	In emergency situations, I feel apprehensive and ill-at-ease.	1	2	3	4	5
7	I am usually objective when I watch a movie or a play, and I don’t often get completely caught up in it.	1	2	3	4	5
8	I try to look at everybody’s side of a disagreement before I make a decision.	1	2	3	4	5
9	When I see someone being taken advantage of, I feel kind of protective towards them.	1	2	3	4	5
10	I sometimes feel helpless when I am in the middle of a very emotional situation.	1	2	3	4	5
11	I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective.	1	2	3	4	5
12	Becoming extremely involved in a good book or movie is somewhat rare for me.	1	2	3	4	5
13	When I see someone getting hurt, I tend to remain calm.	1	2	3	4	5
14	Other people’s misfortunes do not usually disturb me a great deal.	1	2	3	4	5
15	If I’m sure I’m right about something, I don’t waste much time listening to other people’s arguments.	1	2	3	4	5
16	After seeing a play or movie, I have felt as though I were one of the characters.	1	2	3	4	5
17	Being in a tense emotional situation scares me.	1	2	3	4	5
18	When I see someone being treated unfairly, I sometimes don’t feel very much pity for them.	1	2	3	4	5
19	I am usually pretty effective in dealing with emergencies.	1	2	3	4	5
20	I am often quite touched by things that I see happen.	1	2	3	4	5
21	I believe that there are two sides to every question and try to look at them both.	1	2	3	4	5
22	I would describe myself as a pretty soft-hearted person.	1	2	3	4	5
23	When I watch a good movie, I can very easily put myself in the place of a leading character.	1	2	3	4	5
24	I tend to lose control during emergencies.	1	2	3	4	5
25	When I’m upset at someone, I usually try to "put myself in his/her shoes" for a while.	1	2	3	4	5
26	When I am reading an interesting story or novel, I imagine how I would feel if the events in the story were happening to me.	1	2	3	4	5
27	When I see someone who badly needs help in an emergency, I go to pieces.	1	2	3	4	5
28	Before criticising somebody, I try to imagine how I would feel if I were in their place.	1	2	3	4	5

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS RESEARCH.

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1.	a)	Please indicate your *age*?
	b)	Please indicate your *sex*? Male Female

2.	a)	Please indicate your *current marital status, and indicate the length of time* you have held that status:
	b)	Could you indicate the *number of children* you have under the age of 10?
	c)	Could you indicate the *number of children* you have over the age of 10?

3	a)	Please indicate the number of years of education you have accumulated (including primary, secondary and tertiary education). As a guide, if you left school after year 10 you probably had 11 years education, 13 years education by the end of year 12 and probably 16 years by the end of an honours degree): years
	b)	What is your highest *qualification*?

4	a)	Have you *ever* experienced any event/s (such as those below) that have significantly distressed you? No (go to question Section 2) Yes (go to question 4b)
	b)	Please read through the list below and identify the event that significantly distressed you (if the event is not listed please write it in at Qu.14 or 15). Then, record the *approximate date the of the last occurrence of* *the event, and the number of times (N^o) you have experienced the event (use C if the event was experienced continuously over a period of 3 months or more). Also, please indicate how distressing all experiences were at the time or immediately after* the event, and how much distress you *currently* experience over the event. Ignore those events in the list that you have not experienced. However, should you not wish to specify the actual event but did experience a traumatic event like those below please complete item 16.