Citation

Hernandez-Wolfe P, Killian K, Engstrom DW, Gangsei D. J. Humanist. Psychol. 2015; 55(2): 153-172.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0022167814534322

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the coexistence of vicarious resilience and vicarious trauma and explores the inclusion of intersectional identities in trauma work with torture survivors in specialized programs across the United States. A constructionist framework and a method of constant comparison discovered themes that speak about the effects of witnessing how clients cope constructively with adversity, and intersectional identities in social context. The data suggest that trauma therapists can be potentially transformed by their clients' resilience in positive, but not painless, ways. Choosing to work in the trauma field with survivors of torture and politically motivated violence involves immersion in profound ongoing experiences of intertwined pain, joy, and hope, and expanding the boundaries of self--personally and professionally.

Language: en