about the difficulties encountered, they were unanimous in their positive comments about trauma work. Participants experienced trauma work as extremely rewarding and something which gave them a sense of job
satisfaction.The work was also recognised for its benefits of financial rewards
for those therapists in private practice and its clear cut positive treatment outcomes when compared to client work with other mental health presentations, such as depression. The biggest positive for all participants was undoubtedly feeling they were making a significant difference in helping trauma clients and the joy of seeing their recovery.
Client recovery. All participants talked with enthusiasm about the positives of
being able to help their clients with their recovery process and watching their
post-traumatic growth. Two participants described their trauma work as “a
buzz”.
(Justin) 410-19 … it’s a buzz. I mean it’s such an incredible
privilege and pleasure for a stranger to come along and trust, with all this very delicate, very often frightening material and trust in me and trust in the process and trust in, y’know the theory and everything else that I bring along. And to spend however long it takes, whether it’s y’know, a few sessions or two or three months or a year or even longer not very often, but through that process gradually get to know that person as they really are; alongside them getting to know themselves and seeing that person get to a place where they’re just functioning much better and just feel much better. Quite often euphoric through such rapid change. It’s just such a pleasure and that’s why I do it…
The pleasure, excitement and personal gratification Justin gains from working with trauma clients is palpable within his extract. It is also clear he feels humbled by the trust afforded to him by his clients as he carefully builds the therapeutic relationship over time. Furthermore, the significant client changes as they move towards recovery and the reactions of euphoria witnessed by Justin, like all participants, fuel his passion for trauma work.
Paul’s use of metaphor confirms he literally sees his clients as fallen. Like Justin, his pleasure and personal gratification at watching his clients’ post- traumatic growth is unmistakeable within his extract and is strengthened by his use of repetition.
(Paul) 318-9 … the satisfaction that when you see people get back in the saddle, I just love that. I really, really do, that’s a real buzz for me…
Helen’s fulfilment in her role as therapist is clear when she talks collectively about her belief that the clinical skills therapists deliver, make a significant difference to vulnerable clients struggling with symptoms of PTSD.
(Helen) 258-61 ... to how as therapists they can pick people up in
the darkest places where they feel their relationships are affected, their lives are impacted greatly, y’know. They’re angry, they’re hurting, so much is not good in their lives and we get to move them through to a better place, so I think that’s the positives of it for me…
Similar to Paul, it is clear Helen initially sees her clients as fallen. There is a sense she views herself as someone who is able to offer her clients support, guidance and a beacon of light (hope) as they walk through the dark tunnel together towards post-traumatic recovery.
Two participants describe their clients’ post-traumatic growth as magical. Angela’s preference for EMDR comes from her experience of watching the rapid change in her clients as they go through treatment.
(Angela) 114-22 … I love working with EMDR particularly and my
experience with EMDR is very often, I don’t know, something about the rapidity and spontaneity of that change and how sometimes it just seems to happen, even when you’re not expecting it and erm, it’s quite a magical process; and the joy of seeing people change from somebody who really, really struggles say to hold an image or representation to get to the end of an
EMDR session and y’know, maybe they spontaneously burst out with laughter or something like that because it has changed so much for them and I just find that so joyous…
Even though Angela is fully aware of how quickly trauma memories can transform for a client when using EMDR, her description of it being a magical process gives a sense of her surprise and delight at its unexpected results. The pleasure she gets from watching EMDR’s results is unmistakeable within her extract and can be in no doubt. However, another part of the magic for Angela and something which may support her professional sense of self, is the resulting professional satisfaction and pride she experiences as she witnesses her clients astonishing changes within the therapy room.
Paul also talks about post-traumatic recovery in the terms magical and God-like. (Paul) 321-5 … almost feels [laughs] I can’t believe I’m going to
say this, almost feels God-like. It does in a way. You know when you’ve got these people who, whose lives have just shrunk and a few choice words and y’know, I kinda almost call it myself, y’know, ‘sprinkling a little bit of magic’ and hey, you’re sorted...
Paul’s discomfort at describing his work as ‘God-like’ is clear. His terminology suggests he sees the process and consequently himself, as a powerful agent of change. Paul’s description of working with clients “whose lives have shrunk” bring to mind an image of him being much larger than them and is also suggestive of an unconscious power difference perhaps borne out of his experience at the start of therapy when working with clients who feel vulnerable and helpless to help themselves. Although Paul minimises his clinical skills by simply using “a few choice words” and “sprinkling a little bit of magic and hey
you’re sorted,” his language and metaphor conjure up another God-like analogy
and the image of a priest (Paul) splashing holy water or waving incense to purify, protect and repel evil (trauma). When asked to confirm what the ‘magic’ was for Paul, he struggled to give an answer.
327 … Oh it’s the CBT, or it’s the way, or [pause], I’ve no idea. Ooh, I’ve no idea [laughs]. I think it is taking chances...
Even though not able to give a definitive answer, Paul’s ‘sprinkling of magic’ allows him to offer his clients a flexible, spontaneous treatment approach that he can adapt to their specific needs.
Client feedback. Julie and David talked about the feeling of professional
satisfaction trauma work gives them and the significance of positive client feedback.
(David) 205-8 … I just can’t quantify the feeling of reward you
get when you see somebody with a dreadful post-traumatic injury and at the end they are clear of all symptoms. In fact it resonates so much when I am teaching, like I did last week, I actually quote somebody who I saw twelve years ago and what they said after treatment...
To be quoting client feedback twelve years after discharge, is testimony to how much it meant to David and the extent to which he continues to feel a sense of professional pride and satisfaction when his clinical skills are validated and appreciated by his clients.