The Clinician as Expert Companion

This chapter guides clinicians in incorporating the concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG) into their practice, emphasizing the clinician’s role as an expert companion.

It is clear to us that positive changes can be experienced by some, perhaps many, of those who struggle to cope with traumatic events. We believe we have also learned something about how to facilitate this process.

This chapter is written primarily for clinicians who wish to put into practice the lessons about posttraumatic growth (PTG) that we have learned by conducting our own research and attending to the growing published work of others, and by listening carefully to the persons whom we have served in our clinical work, and who have participated in our research studies. We describe the clinician’s role as that of an expert companion to focus attention on the kind of relationship that we think can be most helpful to persons dealing with highly challenging life circumstances.

Read the Chapter “The Clinician as an Expert” https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-12818-012