The BRAVE Blog: Community for Trauma Therapists

Ethical boundaries in therapy often feel like tightropes, don’t they? Early in my career, I was second-guessing every move like I was about to step over the edge of a cliff! But what if we shift our perspective? Our ethical codes aren’t prisons; they’re the scaffolding of confidence and freedom in our work.

As the new year begins, many of us, especially trauma therapists, are already thinking about how to juggle all the things. Instead of diving into a long list of resolutions (which often fizzle out by February), let me introduce you to a practice that has transformed the way I approach the year: finding your Word of the Year.

Trauma treatment is complicated. Just like there are lots of different therapeutic angles to come from there are also a zillion ways that prescribers attack Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with medications. But how do you know if your client’s regimen is a solid one? Could it be causing more harm than good?

Trauma therapists often face the dual impact of racial and vicarious trauma. When we don’t get to manage them, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Learn how to navigate these challenges and how the Racial Trauma and Vicarious Trauma Quarterly Spaceholder Meetings can help!

Being a trauma therapists means we wear many hats, and we often try to keep them all nice, neat, and separated. This week, we have a Guest Blog post from Sarah Sanders, LMFT, and she shows us the power of showing up as an integrated self - trauma therapist side and all!

"As we ask our clients to trust us with their most profound narratives, there exists a reluctance to extend the same trust within our professional community." Liliana Baylon, LMFT-S, RPT-S, shines a light on the silence around therapists' humanity and the need for a shift towards authenticity in our practice.

This is a special time of year when everything is coming back to life again. As I am working on getting our garden back in shape, I can't help but be reminded of how this can also be an important time of renewal for us as trauma therapists - a time to weed out vicarious trauma and plant seeds of vicarious resilience!

You are no stranger to the emotional toll trauma work can take on you. Of course you’re committed to helping others, and as you do that, it's crucial to be aware of the challenges you face so you can prevent burnout and thrive in the work you love.

Despite the passion you have for this work, there's an inner voice that often goes unheard — your own. It's time to shatter the silence and acknowledge a truth: trauma therapists deserve to be cared for too.