Defining an impact construct applicable to offender therapists: Therapist resilience theory---Offense-specific.

摘要

Established impact constructs—vicarious trauma (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995), secondary traumatic stress (Figley, 1995), and burnout (Maslach, 1982)—have been applied to therapists and other professionals working with primary and secondary victims of trauma. Research has explored the negative effects therapists who work with the perpetrators of abuse and violence face as a result of engaging in therapeutic relationships with offenders through the lens of these established constructs. However, the literature has failed to demonstrate applicability of these constructs to offender therapists. The current study employed qualitative, grounded theory methodology to explore the experience of therapists working primarily with convicted sex offenders. The participants' interviews were analyzed using Straus and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory data analysis. Therapist Resilience Theory—Offense-Specific was established from the data. The theory included the conditions that directly and indirectly contributed to the negative and positive effects of working with sex offenders reported by the participants. The theory suggested the participants emphasized the importance of constant awareness of potential negative effects of their work, which led them to employ strategies to mitigate the negative and emphasize the positive aspects that contributed to the consequent experiences they felt were essential to their work.