Vicarious Trauma, Rumination, and Vicarious Post-Traumatic Growth: Rethinking the Role of Clinical Supervision

Mental health professionals are exposed to clients' traumatic experiences, placing them at risk for vicarious trauma (VT). However, such exposure may also facilitate vicarious post-traumatic growth (VPTG). The present study examined the mediating role of rumination (intrusive and deliberate) in the relationship between VT and VPTG, and the moderating role of clinical supervision. The personal trauma history of the therapist was kept as a covariate. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, data were collected from 278 mental health professionals, including psychologists, counsellors, social workers, and therapists, through purposive sampling. Correlational analyses and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS. The analysis revealed that VT is positively related to VPTG, and deliberate rumination mediates the relationship between VT and VPTG. Clinical supervision moderates the association between vicarious trauma and deliberate rumination and the association between deliberate rumination and vicarious post-traumatic growth. The findings highlight the role of participation in clinical supervision in shaping these relationships. This study contributes to the limited empirical literature on VT and VPTG and offers implications for clinical supervision practices and professional training.