Good Enough Care of Israeli Therapists Following the October 7 Attack

Objective. The aim of this study is to reflect the particular experience of therapists striving to assist and establish meaning for their patients, as well as for themselves and their own families, in the wake of the horror and atrocities of Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and during the ensuing war. Method. This qualitative study analyzes the responses of 201 Israeli therapists three weeks following the massacre. The therapists were asked to share their experiences in light of their recent interventions. Results. The findings reveal six core categories that emerged from the questionnaires:(1) Powerlessness and guilt versus competence and a sense of mission; (2) Compassion fatigue versus compassion satisfaction; (3) Loss of meaning and shattered core beliefs versus a search for meaning and resilience; (4) The “falling wall” and emotional contagion versus feelings of unity and community; (5) Emotional flooding versus self-compassion and self-care; and (6) Horror of the evil that accompanied the massacre versus the search for the good and kindness. We found these categories to parallel three theoretical concepts relating to caregivers and caring in general: compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and self-compassion. Conclusions. The results are interpreted leaning on the inclusive theoretical concepts “Good enough caring” and a “Good enough self-care.” The findings and conceptualization can contribute to the theoretical knowledge associated with shared trauma and to a new perspective on interventions and supervision aimed at helping therapists to cope with shared trauma.