The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma

Shaleen Clay; Jason Cravens; Catherine Dutton

doi:10.29333/ajqr/14085

Shaleen Clay ¹ ^* , Jason Cravens ², Catherine Dutton ²

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AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 71-88

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

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Abstract

Often among the first witnesses to child trauma, educators and therapists are on the frontline of an unfolding and multi-pronged occupational crisis. For educators, lack of support and secondary traumatic stress (STS) appear to be contributing to an epidemic in professional attrition. Similarly, therapists who do not prioritize self-care can feel depleted of energy and optimism. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine how bearing witness to the traumatic narratives of children impacts similar helping professionals. The study also sought to extrapolate the similarities and differences between compassion fatigue and secondary trauma across these two disciplines. Exploring the common factors and subjective individual experiences related to occupational stress across these two fields may foster a more complete picture of the delicate nature of working with traumatized children and the importance of successful self-care strategies. Utilizing Constructivist Self-Development Theory (CSDT) and focus group interviews, the study explores the significant risk of STS facing both educators and therapists.

Keywords: qualitative, secondary traumatic stress, self-care, child trauma, educators, therapists.

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Citation

Clay, S., Cravens, J., & Dutton, C. (2024). The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 8(1), 71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

Clay, S., Cravens, J., and Dutton, C. (2024). The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 8(1), pp. 71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

Clay S, Cravens J, Dutton C. The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2024;8(1), 71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

Clay, Shaleen, Jason Cravens, and Catherine Dutton. "The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2024 8 no. 1 (2024): 71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

Clay, Shaleen et al. "The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 8, no. 1, 2024, pp. 71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085

Clay S, Cravens J, Dutton C. The Difficulty of Bearing Witness: Experiences of Educators and Therapists with Childhood Trauma. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2024;8(1):71-88. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/14085