Cultural upbringing and spiritual beliefs
My Cultural upbringing and spiritual beliefs have taught me to approach sexual trauma with deep empathy, humility, and a commitment to nonjudgmental care. In my faith tradition, suffering is viewed as a sacred invitation to healing, which guides me to honor each client’s story with compassion and reverence (Murray-Swank & Waelde, 2013). To keep personal biases hidden when working with survivors of sexual trauma, I engage in structured self-reflection, journaling, and clinical supervision, aligning with the American Psychological Association’s emphasis on cultural humility and ethical responsiveness (APA, 2024).
These practices help me remain client-centered and avoid projecting personal assumptions. To prevent vicarious trauma, I take three specific precautions: first, I participate in regular clinical debriefing and peer consultation to process emotionally intense sessions (McNeilly & Rose, 2021); second, I engage in spiritual and mindfulness practices such as prayer and grounding rituals to restore emotional balance (Captari & Worthington, 2024); and third, I maintain clear boundaries between work and personal life, prioritizing restorative activities and limiting exposure to traumatic content outside of sessions (Trippany, Kress, & Wilcoxon, 2004).
These strategies reflect the principles of Constructivist Self-Development Theory, which emphasizes intentional self-care and meaning making to protect clinicians from cumulative trauma exposure (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995).
American Psychological Association. (2024). Guidelines for working with adults with complex trauma histories. https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/adults-complex-trauma-histories.pdf
Captari, L. E., & Worthington, E. L., Jr. (2024). Assessing and treating trauma impacts in religious and spiritual populations: Introduction to the special issue. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 11(3), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000380
McNeillie, N., & Rose, J. (2021). Vicarious trauma in therapists: A meta-ethnographic review. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 49(4), 426–440. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465820000776
Murray-Swank, N. A., & Waelde, L. C. (2013). Spirituality, religion, and sexual trauma: Integrating research, theory, and clinical practice. In K. I. Pargament, A. Mahoney, & E. P. Shafranske (Eds.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 2) (pp. 335–354). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14046-017
Pearlman, L. A., & Mac Ian, P. S. (1995). Vicarious traumatization: An empirical study of the effects of trauma work on trauma therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26(6), 558–565. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.26.6.558
Trippany, R. L., Kress, V. E. W., & Wilcoxon, S. A. (2004). Preventing vicarious trauma: What counselors should know when working with trauma survivors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 82(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2004.tb00283.x
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