A Visual Conversation With Trauma: Visual Journaling in Art Therapy to Combat Vicarious Trauma

Abstract

Art therapists working with trauma populations are continually exposed to traumatic stories and experiences from their clients. The negative effects of such exposure can begin to cause the therapists to become oversaturated with trauma and decrease their resiliency and balance in their lives. This viewpoint explores the effectiveness of using a visual journal as a processing tool in response to the lived experience of a therapist working with a trauma population of clients in a pediatric hospital setting. Through stories and images, the therapist explores the possibilities of a visual journal to be an effective tool for resiliency, processing, and ethical boundaries between work and home.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Diana Gibson

Diana Gibson, MEd, MAAT, ATR, LPC-I, is an art therapist at The Art Station in Fort Worth, TX.