Join us in celebrating the launch of Psychological Growth After Trauma, edited by Simon Wharne, with a foreword by Emmy van Deurzen.
This groundbreaking book challenges the idea of trauma as simply “psychological damage.” Instead, it highlights the lived experiences of trauma and the possibilities for growth that can emerge from them. Drawing on rich phenomenological research, the contributors explore diverse contexts including birth trauma, interpersonal violence, childhood abuse, bereavement, racism, political conflict, and the challenges faced by therapists themselves .
Through these wide-ranging perspectives, the book offers clinicians, researchers, and students fresh ways of understanding trauma—without prescribing a single model. It provides insights to help practitioners remain open to their clients’ unique experiences and to avoid rigid adherence to fashionable formulations .
At this special event, you’ll hear from the editor and contributors about the inspiration behind the book, key themes across its chapters, and how phenomenological approaches can illuminate both the suffering and the resilience present in the aftermath of trauma.
Whether you work directly with clients, conduct research, or simply want to deepen your understanding of trauma, this launch is an opportunity to connect with ideas that broaden and enrich the field of posttraumatic studies.
Psychological Growth After Trauma: Insights from Phenomenological Research
Routledge
Course Content
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“Bringing Wisdom to the World”
If you have been wondering where you might be able to find a group of people who want to bring their knowledge and experience to a worldwide movement for a better way of life, you have just found it.
Existential ideas are a powerfully alternative way of looking at human existence. These ideas have been around for many millennia, in the Athenian philosophies, the Eastern philosophical traditions and even, in a sense in pagan philosophies.
They became much more prominent in the 19th century with the writings of Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche and came to fruition with the work of Husserl, when he provided the method of phenomenology.
Most people have heard about existentialism, a mainly French 20th century philosophical movement, that broke the mould of philosophy and made it about human existence, rather than about human knowledge.
Since then existential ideas have been applied vigorously to the practice of psychology and psychotherapy and a movement of existential therapy was generated over the past century, that is now extremely popular. All around the world existential therapists work in this way and every four years they come together for the World Congress of Existential Therapy.
However it has now become vital to broaden the scope of the movement. As the world is in turmoil and going through extremely dangerous times, humanity seems to have lost track of the things that really matter. People have placed consumerism, profitability and competition at the foreground of human existence and have stopped noticing how they are ruining the eco system of the planet as well as the emotional climate in which we all live.
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View recorded events hosted in collaboration with The Existential Academy
Presenter
Dr. Claire Arnold-Baker, DCPsych (UK) is an existential counselling psychologist and psychotherapist, a lecturer, supervisor and researcher, as well as being the Principal and Course Leader of the DCPsych programme at NSPC. She has a small private practice where she specialises in working existentially with mothers and has a twin passion for maternal mental health and the natural world. Claire has co-authored and edited a number of existential books as well as authoring chapters and articles. She is also a trustee of the Federation of Existential Therapy in Europe (FETE).
Dr Jackie Sewell is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. She works in private practice specialising in treating patients presenting with symptoms related to perfectionism, high achievement, work related and personal trauma. She delivers workshops on managing perfectionism to corporate lawyers and provides coaching to senior leaders. Until recently, she worked as an onsite psychologist at a law firm in the city of London. Prior to working as a psychologist, she worked as a management consultant for KPMG.
Dr Marc Boaz is an existential psychotherapist, a visiting Professor of Mental Health and Psychotherapy at the University of Northampton, UK, and teaches Critical Psychopathology at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (NSPC), UK. He is an author of works on interpersonal trauma, childhood adversity and neurodivergence.
Dr Natalie Fraser is a Counselling Psychologist and writer specialising in trauma and sexual violence. She is committed to decolonizing the landscape of global philosophies of existence, and founded Existential Offerings (www.existentialofferings.com) and The Global Existential Summits (www.existentialsummit.com).
Dr Niklas Serning is a psychologist, child psychotherapist and Army Officer. He runs a small private practice, trains major international corporations and organisations like Airbus and Frontex in resilience, supervises a counter trafficking team and supports a range of military units in cultural understanding.
Emmy van Deurzen is a professor of Psychology and Psychotherapy with 18 books to her name, several of which have been translated into a dozen languages. She is the Co-Founder and Principal of the Existential Academy, where she also runs post graduate courses through the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in partnership with Middlesex University and her private practice.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, she lived, studied, and worked in France before settling in the UK in 1977. Emmy has been instrumental in founding or cofounding numerous organizations, including the Society for Existential Analysis, the Federation for Existential Therapy in Europe and the World Confederation of Existential Therapy. She has helped people in facing their life problems and suffering for nearly half a century.
Amongst her books are the bestsellers Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling in Practice (3d edition 2012), Psychotherapy and the Quest for Happiness (Sage, 2009), Everyday Mysteries (2nd edition Routledge, 2010) and Paradox and Passion (2nd edition, Wiley, 2015). Her book Rising from Existential Crisis was published with PCCS books in 2021. She is currently writing a book on Existential Freedom for Penguin.
Simon Wharne DCPsych (Middx), PhD, MSc, BSc (Open) PGCHE (Falm)
BPS Chartered Counselling Psychologist, UKCP registered Existential Psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer. With a varied career in management and clinical roles in NHS community mental health services. Currently working for New Zealand Health: Te Whatu Ora, Auckland. Having worked for the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling, and still providing clinical and research supervision. Interests: trauma, post traumatic growth, cross-cultural therapy, decision-making and resilience.
