Qualitative Meta-analysis of Counselor’s Vicarious Trauma

This study aims to comprehensively explore counselors’ experiences of vicarious trauma and associated factors. To achieve this, 11 qualitative studies that met specific criteria regarding coun-selor vicarious trauma were selected, and a qualitative meta-analysis was conducted. The findings can be summarized as follows: First, the counselor’s vicarious trauma experience was analyzed through five stages: exposure to client trauma, vicarious trauma experience itself, coping mech-anisms, vicarious post-traumatic growth, and decisions regarding leaving the counseling pro-fession. Counselors often exhibited symptoms similar to those of the trauma they encountered through their clients; however, many also reported personal growth as a result of coping with vi-carious trauma. Conversely, some counselors chose to leave the counseling profession when they felt unable to manage their experiences effectively. Second, factors that exacerbated the progres-sion from exposure to client trauma to vicarious trauma were categorized into client, counselor, and environmental factors, with environmental factors being more diverse in terms of subcatego-ries and content than the other two categories. Third, protective factors identified during coping with vicarious trauma and subsequent growth were also categorized into client, counselor, and en-vironmental factors, with environmental factors again showing a greater variety of subcategories and content. Drawing insights from an exploration of the meaning of counselors’ vicarious trau-ma experiences, a model of this phenomenon was developed, and its implications were discussed.