Trauma Consultation Approaches to Help Therapists Feel More Confident
By Kristen Dammer
Many of us become therapists because we recovered from a traumatic experience with the help of our own therapists. We want to give back because therapy lifted the dark curtain of trauma to a place of feeling enlightened in our lives, so we feel better equipped to help others. We all want the best for our clients.
Working with clients that have experienced trauma can be so rewarding, especially when you advance to the point that the client finds a foundation to stand on, so they feel more empowered in their lives. As a trauma-focused therapist, you hear so many heartbreaking experiences that your clients have endured. Working with trauma, although rewarding, can also lead to vicarious trauma. Trauma-focused clinical consultation can help you feel more confident in your work and keep you on track with your self-care so you decrease your chances of vicarious trauma.
The Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship in Trauma Therapy
First and foremost: Creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship is paramount when working with trauma survivors. Similarly, this is also of utmost importance when providing or receiving trauma consultation. Many clients may have experienced a breach of trust in their traumatic experiences, making it crucial for therapists to prioritize building a secure therapeutic alliance. Establishing safety and trust can help clients and you as a therapist feel supported. This can also help to increase your willingness to engage in the therapeutic and consultation process, ultimately facilitating your own healing journey.
Persevering as a Trauma Therapist
We have all had several “tough” clients that have experienced complex trauma, and we have worked many years with them on their journey to recovery. How can you maintain feeling confident when a client’s path to healing is a very long process? Clinical consultation can provide you not only with possible tools to help at those stuck points along the way, but also can validate your experiences with time.
Remember that it’s often 3 steps forward and 2 steps back—healing is not linear. This can be sometimes forgotten when you are working on your own therapist island. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friendly face tell you that you’re on the right track? Sometimes that is exactly what you need to hear. Trauma consultation can point out the strong therapeutic alliance you have with your client that often takes more time with the mistrust of the trauma survivor. Consultation is the place where you can get that needed validation.
Trauma Focused Consultation Helps with Countertransference
Because, as therapists you often help those clients who parallel your own experiences, e.g., trauma survivors helping other trauma survivors, clinical consultation can also help you process any possible countertransference. Consultation can help untangle your trauma from the client’s, so as not to damage the relationship and stay within the ethics of your profession.
Consultation can assist you by pointing out unhelpful patterns, so you are able to recognize countertransference in the “here and now” of your sessions. You can begin to peel apart you from them, use grounding techniques and turn your unbiased focus back to the client. Yes, being a trauma survivor catapults you to an inside connection with clients.
On the flip side, therapists need to constantly be aware of the delicate complexities of having empathy and understanding, but also, remembering that our clients’ experiences are unique. Therapists can sometimes “fill in the blanks” of client stories using their own personal experiences and this information might not be accurate. Trauma-focused consultation will guide you back to the basics of counseling and trauma-focused therapy.
Increase Awareness of Vicarious Trauma Through Clinical Consultation
We can also experience vicarious trauma and sometimes feel disempowered in ourselves when all the tools we know seem to be not working for the client. Working with trauma can be draining and demanding, especially if your self-care is not on the daily. Making time for yourself is so important, and just like your clients, you can tend to put yourself last.
Trauma consultation can work to address self-care barriers and explore other strategies to implementing self-care daily. You can learn to prioritize yourself with consultation. Consultation not only provides a socialization and connection aspect, but you can also talk more about specific cases that are contributing to burnout or vicarious trauma. Examining trauma cases and how it feels to sit with your client can provide a space of release for your own nervous system. You can co-regulate with your consultation provider and lean into the safe place of healing within the healing to help prevent any vicarious trauma
Trauma-focused consultation can help hold you accountable for prioritizing yourself and to understand the signs that you might be experiencing vicarious trauma. Are you experiencing PTSD symptoms yourself? Are you becoming more irritable and not looking forward to seeing clients? Do you know your “first signs” of tipping the edge into burnout and what self-care tools are most helpful? Being aware of your patterns and sharing that with a clinical supervisor or clinical consultant can help relieve or prevent vicarious trauma. Trauma-focused consultation is a needed connection and space to take care of yourself.
Trauma-focused consultation can help you feel more confident in your work, also. Finding a person that you feel connected to and who offers a safe place to talk about the complexities of trauma is a must. You need the connection of clinical consultation now more than ever, especially if you are a telehealth-based therapist. Seeking trauma-specific consultation helps you feel more confident and connected with the amazing work you do.
How we can help
If you are interested in working with a clinical supervisor who understands the challenges of being a trauma therapist, check out more about our supervisor, Kristen Dammer.
Author Bio
Kristen Dammer is a clinical supervisor, therapist, and blogger with Firelight Supervision and Catalyss Counseling. Kristen specializes in trauma, ADHD, and perinatal counseling with adults and is trained in EMDR. Kristen enjoys providing clinical supervision and consultation to beginning to advanced clinicians in private practice, hospital, and agency settings.
