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Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 2004 4(4):353-366; doi:10.1093/brief-treatment/mhh027
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Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention Vol. 4 No. 4, © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.

The Development of the Trauma Therapist: A Qualitative Study of the Child Therapist's Perspectives and Experiences

   Beth A. Lonergan, PsyD
   M. Sean O'Halloran, PhD
   Susan C. M. Crane, MS

From RHR International Company (Lonergan) and the University of Northern Colorado, Division of Professional Psychology (O'Halloran and Crane)

Contact author: Beth A. Lonergan, RHR International Company, 1700 Broadway, Suite 1110, Denver, CO 80290. E-mail: blonergan{at}rhrinternational.com.

Although there is increasing literature on secondary traumatic stress, little is known about the therapist's perspective and experience in working with traumatized children. This qualitative study utilized an interpretivist paradigm to understand therapists' experiences in working with such children. Interviews suggest that therapists perceive common issues related to treatment, impact of the therapeutic work, and the importance of making personal meaning of their work. Most importantly, becoming a trauma specialist is a developmental process requiring careful examination, willingness to be changed, and a program of self-care, as therapists work to help children who have been witness to and often victims of horrors many find unspeakable. Implications for training, supervision, community support, and self-care are discussed.

KEY WORDS: trauma therapist development






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