Intergenerational trauma (IT) occurs when the effects of ongoing traumatic events and situations are passed on from one generation to another, but not limited to just parents or grandparents (Franco, 2023). Examples of IT include historical trauma associated with a significant event such as war crimes and genocide like the Holocaust, which impacted racial, ethnic or a cultural group (Rosenthal, 2021). Other forms of IT can include pandemics, domestic violence, substance abuse and forced relocations (Rosenthal, 2021). More recent literature indicates 70% of people will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lives (WHO, 2023). With this number expected to rise in years to come (WHO, 2023). There is a lack of literature around IT, with no exact cause of IT being determined, no diagnostic tools and no statistics on the number of people with IT.
This research aims to explore tools and training that counsellors currently use when supporting their clients with IT and to identify any gaps in counselling training as well as counsellor’s knowledge within IT. A qualitative approach was adopted, where five individual participants completed a questionnaire. The data from the questionnaire was analysed following a six-phase approach to thematic analysis. Five themes were found: (1) the need for additional training in IT; (2) unclear diagnostic tools; (3) a variety of methods and techniques used by counsellors when supporting clients with IT; (4) a need for collaborative work with clients; (5) the importance of counsellor’s wellbeing, including supervision, personal therapy and self-care.
Recommendations for practice include core counselling training to adopt a form of IT training, discussions of family trauma history in the initial session and further research in IT and diagnostic tools.
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