Missed Opportunities for Growth in the Posttraumatic Helping Environment: The Role of Spirituality

This paper focuses on social work’s understanding of how posttraumatic counselling may help or hinder recovery from trauma. A qualitative case study was conducted using an autobiographic memoir that provides in-depth personal narrative one woman’s experience trauma, stress disorder, the helping environment, and healing journey. Inductive thematic analysis uncovered themes align with existing literature. Novel understudied aspects for consideration also emerged, including importance psychoeducation, behavioural activation, secondary factors related to environment impede healing. The highlighted missed opportunities clinically address issues identity meaning in a spiritually sensitive manner. Although narrator made it clear professionals she struggling religious beliefs spiritual crisis, seemed eschew exploration these concerns. Implications clinical work practice future research are discussed.