Supervisors’ Perception of Vicarious Trauma and Growth in Australian Refugee Trauma Counsellors

Abstract

ABSTRACTVicarious trauma is a well-accepted phenomenon supported by more than 20 years of research, yet the body of research on the positive impact, known as vicarious post-traumatic growth, is relatively small. Based on a metasynthesis of qualitative peer-reviewed vicarious trauma studies, Cohen and Collens propose a model of the co-occurrence of vicarious trauma and vicarious post-traumatic growth. This model was examined through a qualitative study involving 11 interviews with supervisors of refugee trauma counsellors working in Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT) member agencies. This research project both reviewed the model from the perspective of experienced supervisors and illuminated what occurred within the supervision process to manage vicarious trauma and encourage vicarious post-traumatic growth. While the research project affirmed aspects of the model, the failure of the model to consider socio-political factors limited its applicability to FASSTT agencies.IMPLICATIONSFASSTT clinical supervisors engage in supervision in a manner that may assist counsellors to process how their clients’ trauma disclosures impact on their levels of stress and change their perception of self, their role, and their worldview.Including recognition of the influence of the socio-political context of refugee trauma and trauma recovery may be an important additional component of supervision practice.