Supervising practitioners working with survivors of childhood abuse: counter transference; secondary traumatization and terror

This paper explores the impact of working with trauma on the practitioner who works therapeutically with survivors of childhood abuse, and their supervisor's role in helping to manage the resulting terror, horror and trauma. It examines how the therapist may become traumatized and identifies the problematic and potentially damaging consequences for the therapist, the client and for the therapeutic relationship. Particular attention is paid to counter-transference, traumatic counter-transference and secondary traumatization. The question of what constitutes effective supervision in this field will be examined and the importance of identifying secondary traumatization will be emphasized. The terms counsellor, therapist and practitioner will be used interchangeably.