We often rush to help people grow after adversity. But forcing growth without establishing safety can retraumatize our clients.
In the aftermath of trauma, grief, or heartbreaking betrayal, it’s easy to blur the lines between stabilization, resilience-building, and post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi et al., 2018; Worden, 2018).
As a licensed trauma therapist and clinical consultant, I have observed that when these phases are not clearly distinguished, even well-intentioned interventions can be more harmful than helpful.
Rushing through or blurring the phases can create subtle forms of pressure and invalidation (Linehan, 2015), as well as toxic positivity and premature growth, which unintentionally do harm (Bonanno, 2021; Tedeschi et al., 2018).
Trauma-informed resilience-building requires a clear decision on what comes first, what comes next, what should wait, and why. This guide offers a practical and safe framework to help you build trauma-informed resilience ethically.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you effectively deal with difficult circumstances and give you the tools to improve the resilience of your clients, students, or employees.
In the aftermath of trauma, grief, or heartbreaking betrayal, it’s easy to blur the lines between stabilization, resilience-building, and post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi et al., 2018; Worden, 2018).
As a licensed trauma therapist and clinical consultant, I have observed that when these phases are not clearly distinguished, even well-intentioned interventions can be more harmful than helpful.
Rushing through or blurring the phases can create subtle forms of pressure and invalidation (Linehan, 2015), as well as toxic positivity and premature growth, which unintentionally do harm (Bonanno, 2021; Tedeschi et al., 2018).
Trauma-informed resilience-building requires a clear decision on what comes first, what comes next, what should wait, and why. This guide offers a practical and safe framework to help you build trauma-informed resilience ethically.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our five positive psychology tools for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you effectively deal with difficult circumstances and give you the tools to improve the resilience of your clients, students, or employees.
