Exploring Psychology Graduate Students’ Desire and Ability to Discuss Their Personal Trauma History With Clinical Supervisors
Inspired by the archetype of the “wounded healer,” described by Carl Jung as a psychologist who enters the field with psychological wounds of their own, and the prevalence of such wounded healers in the mental health field today, this study aimed to explore clinical psychology doctoral students’ experiences of self-disclosure of their personal trauma history, a specific type of psychological wound, in clinical supervision. The goal was to explore whether and how students’ trauma history is discussed in clinical supervision; the importance of such discussions for students’ professional and personal development; and the impact of having or not having these conversations on their well-being, professional identity, and clinical competence. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, seven participants were interviewed regarding their personal thoughts and experiences related to discussing their personal trauma history in clinical supervision. Findings indicate the students have a strong desire and placed a high level of importance on self-disclosure of trauma history to the extent that it affected their mental health and their clinical work, and that such disclosures are an important aspect of improving their clinical competence and reducing burnout. Despite this desire, findings indicate the presence of significant barriers to discussing personal trauma history within clinical supervision, including perceived stigma, the strength (or lack thereof) of the supervisory relationship, structural factors, and personal or cultural identity factors. The study highlights the need for a supportive environment in which supervisees can safely explore the impact of their psychological wounds on their clinical work as part of their clinical training and better guidelines for both supervisors and supervisees on when and how trauma history should be explored in clinical supervision.
Wounded healer, psychological wounds, trauma, supervisee self-disclosure, clincal supervision, psychology training, Psychological Phenomena and Processes
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