Exploring the Experiences of Counselling Psychologists’ Embodied Responses When Working with Trauma: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This research aimed to explore the experiences of counselling psychologists’ embodied responses when working with trauma presentations. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with six qualified counselling psychologists who shared their clinical experience. The transcribed interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Four Group Experiential Themes emerged from the analysis process: Caught in the net of trauma, Making sense of the response, Taming the response, and Bringing the body in: Embodied responses as a therapeutic instrument.
The results uncovered novel insights into the challenging embodied experiences of the participants and the degree of unpreparedness they faced in experiencing and making sense of their embodied responses. This highlights the significance of the topic for counselling psychologists working in trauma-related contexts. The findings reveal the complex nature of the embodied experiences therapists undergo in response to trauma and the process that unfolds as the participants face an unanticipated intensity of embodied responses. The journey taken by the participants uncovers the intricacy of therapeutic encounters when working with trauma and emphasises the potential impact of the process on the therapist, and its role in advancing the therapeutic relationship to greater depths. The implications and relevance of these findings, particularly for clinical training, are explored, and suggestions for future research are provided.