The Legacy of Inherited Trauma: Case Studies

The social work field has long recognized through both clinical experience and empirical studies that traumatic events affect not only the individual who experienced the trauma, but also others who have significant relationships with the traumatized individual [1]. Figley [1] defined secondary traumatic stress as the experiencing of emotional duress in persons who have had close contact with a trauma survivor, which may include family members as well as therapists [2-5]. Employing a familycentered approach with the two individual clients, an illustration of assessment and treatment of inherited trauma is provided.