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Differentiation of Self: Enhancing Therapist Resilience When Working with Relational Trauma
Author(s) -
MacKay Linda M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1002/anzf.1276
Subject(s) - vignette , psychotherapist , psychological resilience , psychological intervention , psychology , burnout , clinical psychology , social psychology , psychiatry
Clinicians are charged with being diligent in gaining competency in the latest trauma‐informed interventions when working with relational trauma. This may invest therapists with an overresponsibility that is not only overwhelming and unrealistic, but serves to reduce autonomous functioning in family members. Therefore, clinicians need to become clear about what they are responsible for and what they are not, particularly when family members present as irresponsible or too anxious to think and act more effectively. Using a case vignette, this paper discusses how a clinician's focus on increasing their differentiation of self, a concept embeded in Bowen family systems theory, protects against vicarious traumatisation, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout whilst contributing to more autonomous functioning and better wellbeing outcomes for both clinicians and clients alike.