Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)

Advisor

Christopher Burnett

Abstract

Experiencing traumatic events is an inevitable part of the human experience. Researchers highlight that nearly 80% of clients treated in community mental health clinics have experienced at least one incident of trauma during their lifetime, representing five out of every six clients (Breslau & Kessler, 2001). The concept of Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG) refers to the positive psychological changes experienced as a result of struggling with highly challenging life circumstances (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1999, 2001). PTG acknowledges that individuals can experience positive growth and some beneficial outcomes after surviving some of the most traumatic events and tragedies in their lifetime (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996). This topic is important within the field of Marriage and Family Therapy because it offers an alternative perspective to processing lived traumatic experiences. A gap in research has been identified in how mental health professionals can incorporate and utilize the concept of PTG. For the purposes of this study, the research questions are: How have my past experiences with trauma shaped the healing version of who I am today, and how can marriage and family therapists use PTG with clients in the therapy room? In this study, I will utilize autoethnography as the methodology to explore trauma processing and how the concept of PTG helps with healing. The use of PTG can assist in comprehensive healing within the-self-of-the-therapist and clients in therapy. At the conclusion of this study, it is found that an individual can experience profound healing while using the aid of PTG and processing their lived traumatic experiences. Keywords: autoethnography, post traumatic growth, post-traumatic stress symptoms, resilience, trauma

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