Professional and collective identity exploration and coping among mental health practitioners during shared trauma

This study explored the development of professional and collective identities and coping, resilience, and functioning, among mental health practitioners experiencing shared trauma during a period of collective trauma.

Twenty-four Israeli mental health practitioners (social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists) who were displaced following the October 7th events participated in semi-structured interviews conducted shortly after evacuation.

The thematic analysis identified four central themes reflecting the role of professional and collective identity in coping and professional functioning under conditions of shared trauma: (a) Professional identity supported emotional containment and ethical decision-making, enabling participants to maintain clinical functioning under conditions of ongoing stress and uncertainty; (b) Collective identity was associated with solidarity, shared meaning-making, and strengthened commitment to clients and colleagues; (c) The two identity dimensions were reported as interdependent and continuously influencing one another, forming a dynamic process rather than separate constructs; and (d) This interaction was described as sustaining coping efforts and facilitating continued professional engagement in the context of shared trauma.

Professional and collective identities appear to function as interconnected processes that support adaptive coping and clinical functioning following exposure to mass trauma.