This long-awaited, much-needed book addresses the role and needs of therapists working with traumatized patients. Theorists, mental health professionals, and researchers have devoted enormous effort to understanding one member of the therapy relationship--the client; far less attention has been paid to the therapist, what he or she brings to the work, and the effect the work has on him or her. This neglect has been not only misleading, but also dangerous to both client and therapist.
This resource is obviously outdated in it's understanding of trauma, trauma treatment, and best practices in psychotherapy, but it has some helpful perspectives that you don't read in many books in the profession anymore. Current culture and resources in psychotherapy are so focused on treatment interventions and the latest research that we sometimes skip over the heart of therapy and the long term experiences of those practicing it. I appreciated the time spent talking about countertransference and the therapeutic relationship as well as the existential and spiritual effects on the therapist of doing this work. This book normalized my vicarious trauma experience, and it gave me permission to set some habits, boundaries, and filters I've felt tentative making. The last two chapters were what I was looking for in this book - a set of strategies for staying healthy while experiencing vicarious trauma and an acknowledgment of the reasons and beauty of doing trauma therapy. And although these two chapters take up only 10% of the book, they were gold.