Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice

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).

"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

• 1. The Process of Posttraumatic Growth in Clinical Practice 2. Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth through Expert Companionship 3. Posttraumatic Growth in Multicultural Context 4. Understanding Trauma Response as a Precursor to Growth 5. Emotion Regulation and Posttraumatic Growth 6. Constructive Self-disclosure and Redevelopment of Relationships 7. Creating a Narrative with Posttraumatic Growth Domains 8. Existential, Religious, and Spiritual Growth 9. Vulnerability, Resilience, and Growth for Expert Companions