Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice

From the authors who pioneered the concept of posttraumatic growth comes Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice, a book that brings the study of growth after trauma into the twenty-first century. Clinicians will find a framework that’s easy to use and flexible enough to be tailored to the needs of particular clients and specific therapeutic approaches. And, because it utilizes a model of relating described as "expert companionship," clinicians learn how to become most empathically effective in helping a variety of trauma survivors. Clinicians will come away from this book having learned how to assess posttraumatic growth, how to address it in treatment, and they’ll also have a basic grasp of the ways the changes they’re promoting will be received in various cultural contexts. Case examples show how utilizing a process developed from an empirically-based model of posttraumatic growth can promote important personal changes in the aftermath of traumatic events.

"Whether viewed through the lens of relevant research or attuned psychotherapy, it is clear that many clients struggling with significant trauma or loss find their way toward newfound life appreciation, compassion, self-affirmation and existential depth as they do so. What has been less clear is how professional helpers might function as midwives to their emergence. In Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice Calhoun and Tedeschi do much to demystify this process, providing what amounts to a guidebook for clinicians seeking to recognize and promote personal transformation in the wake of unwelcome change. I recommend it to every colleague who views therapy as more than the mere management of symptomatology, and to every supervisee seeking the distilled wisdom of master therapists who lay bare the practical magic of transmuting the lead of tragedy into the gold of transcendence."—Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD, editor of Techniques of Grief Therapy: Creative Practices for Counseling the Bereaved"The concept of posttraumatic growth is a vital contribution to trauma literature, and Lawrence Calhoun and Rich Tedeschi are our foremost experts on it. Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice is not just their most important book on the topic—it’s an essential read for anyone committed to healing from trauma."—Charles R. Figley, PhD, the Paul Henry Kurzweg Distinguished Chair in Disaster Mental Health at Tulane University and author of Treating Compassion Fatigue"It is the task of all mental-health professionals to help traumatized patients extract themselves from a quagmire of depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress. Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice is the guide clinicians need to do that—and much more. Authors Tedeschi and Calhoun provide a wealth of immensely valuable tools for fostering posttraumatic growth, with specific guidance and real-world examples that show clinicians how to help their patients flourish in the aftermath of their tragedy." —Rhonda Cornum, PhD, MD, US Army Brigadier General (ret) and professor of military and operational medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Lawrence G. Calhoun, PhD, is professor of psychology at UNC Charlotte and a licensed psychologist. Together with Richard Tedeschi, he is one of the pioneers in the development of research and theory on posttraumatic growth. He teaches undergraduate and graduate students and is a recipient of the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence and of the University of North Carolina Board of Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence.Richard G. Tedeschi, PhD, is professor of psychology at UNC Charlotte, where he teaches personality and psychotherapy. He is a licensed psychologist specializing in bereavement and trauma and has led support groups for bereaved parents since 1987. He serves as a consultant to the American Psychological Association on trauma and resilience.Together, Tedeschi and Calhoun have published several books, including the Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth: Research and Practice (Routledge, 2006) and Helping Bereaved Parents: A Clinician’s Guide (Routledge, 2004).