Reflections of a trauma counsellor: Theory meets practice

Abstract

This paper is a reflection of a crisis counselling session where the counsellor experienced post-traumatic symptoms during the session. The writer describes her experience and attempts to explain it through theory on counter-transference and the Intersubjective Approach to therapy. The paper also refers to the debate about the value of debriefing and further discusses the common symptoms of exposure to trauma. By raising vicarious trauma as a concept, the writer attempts to ask questions around the effects on counsellors of working with traumatised clients.