Amanada Rykaart discusses the nature of Trauma Counselling, and explains why South Africa can be a world leader in this area.

1. WHY I AM A TRAUMA
COUNSELLOR
AMANDA RYKAART

2. SCOPES OF PRACTICE
Clinical psychologists assess, diagnose and intervene with people in dealing with life
challenges, particularly those with relatively serious forms of psychological distress and/ or
psychopathology
Clinical Psychology focuses on the pathology of the psychologically ill individual

3. Counselling psychologists assess, diagnose and intervene with people in
dealing with life challenges and developmental problems to optimise
psychological well- being.
Counselling Psychology focuses on the psychologically healthy
individual.

4. TRAUMA
Traumatic experiences shake the foundations of our beliefs about safety and shatter our
assumptions of trust. - Dr D.V. Baldwin
Trauma changes the way we perceive the world and how we perceive ourselves.

5. DEFINITION
• From the Greek word for wound, a term used freely either of physical injury caused by
some direct external force or of psychological injury caused by some extreme emotional
assault. - Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
• An emotional shock producing a lasting, harmful effect. / An unpleasant experience that
causes one distress or anxiety. - Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary
• Those, which include direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or
threatened death, injury or a threat to the physical integrity of another person. - The
American Psychiatric Association

6. Trauma is always sudden,
unexpected and
extraordinary.