Date
7-21-2026
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)
Chair
Tyler Sheppard
Keywords
trauma, burnout, depersonalization, secondary trauma, school counselor
Disciplines
Counseling
Recommended Citation
Kellam, Byron Ronaldo, "A Cross to Bear: Examining Nonadaptive Manifestations of Secondary Trauma in Professional School Counselors" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8648.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8648
Abstract
This interpretative phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of vicarious trauma among Professional School Counselors working in urban and rural school districts in the southeastern United States. Professional School Counselors are routinely subjected to children’s traumatic histories, positioning them at elevated danger for secondary psychological distress, burnout, and emotional exhaustion. Although increased awareness of vicarious trauma in helping professions is prevalent, inadequate research has examined how Professional School Counselors translate and reconcile the significance of these experiences within school-oriented contexts. The primary theory guiding the study was Constructivist Self-Development Theory. This theoretical framework synchronizes with the research’s attending view on how Professional School Counselors construct meaning from their trauma engagement and how these experiences affect their capacity to function professionally, personal welfare, and coping strategies. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with approximately12 to 15 Professional School Counselors, selected using purposive sampling until data saturation is achieved. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), incorporating iterative coding, constant comparison, and thematic analysis to identify patterns and shared meanings across participants’ narratives. The findings produced five essential themes associated with participants’ experiences with vicarious trauma and the approaches engaged to mitigate its consequential outcomes within the Professional School Counseling profession. These results render value to existing literature through the illumination of vicarious trauma as a systemic occupational problem and that Professional School Counselors’ engagement of coping strategies is insufficient without intentional organizational support.
