Male Counselors’ Experiences of Their Child-Clients’ Trauma

Abstract

Men are underrepresented in the counseling profession, are socialized to be independent, and discouraged from seeking help. Exposure to others’ trauma can cause secondary trauma, with cumulative deleterious effects. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of male counselors who work with children who have experienced trauma. Six male counselor participants were identified, semi-structured interviews were conducted; then a hermeneutic interpretation through the lens of constructivist self-development theory elucidated participants’ experiences. The 13 themes generated from this data included: (a) counselors’ use of an eclectic theoretical approach, (b) majority of the clients had experienced trauma, (c) experiences of vicarious trauma, (d) increased empathy and growth; (e) negative impact of vicarious trauma, (f) help-seeking behavior, (g) denial of help-seeking behavior, (h) additional training, (i) coping skills, (j) supportive supervisors, (k) peer consultation, (l) supervisor role, (m) world is unsafe/people are bad, and (o) increasing knowledge.