What is the lived experience of vicarious trauma for counsellors working with the trauma narratives of clients who have experienced religious persecution?

I am an MA student in Therapeutic Counselling, Psychotherapy & Supervision at Waverley Abbey College. I am conducting a qualitative study exploring the lived experience of vicarious trauma among qualified counsellors/psychotherapists who work with adult clients who have experienced religious persecution.

In this study, “religious persecution” refers to serious or sustained harm, threats, coercion, pressure, or systemic discrimination experienced because of a person’s religious identity, beliefs, denomination/sect, or change of belief (including conversion or leaving the family faith). This may be enacted by the state, religious institutions, community, workplace, or family. The study is not limited to any single faith tradition.

Eligibility

Participants must be UK-based, qualified counsellors/psychotherapists (e.g., registered/accredited with BACP, UKCP, ACC, or equivalent), currently in practice, and have worked with at least one adult client who has experienced religious persecution as defined above.

Participants must be able to take part in an interview in English via Microsoft Teams.
To protect boundaries, I will not recruit anyone with whom I have a dual or dependent relationship (e.g., current/former clients, supervisees/supervisors, close friends, or those under my pastoral responsibility).

What Participation Involves

Participation consists of a single, one-to-one semi-structured interview (approximately 60 minutes) via Microsoft Teams. The interview will explore the counsellor’s experience of this work, including emotional and relational impact, spiritual/existential themes where relevant, and how practitioners make sense of and manage the vicarious effects, including coping, supervision, and organisational support.

Participants can pause, skip questions, or withdraw at any time without giving a reason. With consent, interviews will be audio-recorded using a dedicated encrypted audio recorder (not platform-based recording) and transcribed verbatim by the researcher.

All data will be anonymised (pseudonyms used and identifying details removed/modified), stored securely in encrypted, password-protected files, and handled in line with Waverley Abbey College data-protection requirements.

A short debrief and signposting to support resources will be provided.

If you are interested, please contact me to receive the Participant Information Sheet and to complete brief eligibility screening questions before arranging an interview.

Please see here for more information and for details on how to take part.