What? Another trauma therap(y)ist?

Abstract

The term trauma entered mainstream mental health discourse in Turkey after the 1999 Marmara earthquake. It has, since then, become perhaps the simplest credential for establishing oneself as a therapist, whether or not one holds more than an undergraduate degree, conveniently packaged with a humanistic flavor as an added bonus! Even practitioners from other “schools” of psychotherapy rushed to bask in the glow of this rising star, while others have positioned themselves as critics of the trend, though, regrettably, most do so from a skeptical distance, muttering something to the effects of: “Well, if everyone is traumatized, what’s the problem? Just learn the formula and apply whatever a (my) school of psychotherapy prescribes as the (universal) cure.” Some others, weary of engaging the depth of human existence, instead adopted a heroistic style, positioning themselves as rescuers of victims of traumatizing events, a practice still debatable as to whether it qualifies as therapy at all.