Vicarious posttraumatic growth among interpreters

This study explored the vicarious experiences of eight interpreters working in a therapeutic setting with asylum seekers and refugees. Semistructured interviews were collected and an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used. Four interrelated themes emerged from the findings: feeling what your client feels, beyond belief, finding your own way to deal with it, and a different person. These included the process of identifying with clients that led to negative, but also, experiences of growth. The importance of training was highlighted but also the importance of working with clients long enough to witness their growth was another important implication. In term of theory, different structures of growth emerged (in comparison to direct posttraumatic growth) and the role of empathy highlighted.