Confidential Grief: The Hidden Trauma Therapists Carry and How Supervisors Can Help
This is Part 1 of a special two-part series on confidential grief, vicarious trauma, and the resilience it takes to stay human in this field. In this intimate conversation, Dr. Amy Parks sits down with confidential grief specialist Khara Croswaite Brindle to explore the hidden emotional landscape therapists carry — the losses we don’t talk about, the pain we hold in silence, and the career-shaping moments that often go unseen. Khara shares insights from her nationally reaching research on confidential grief and the six major adverse psychological events that impact therapists throughout their careers. Together, Amy and Khara unpack why clinicians often suffer in silence, how shame and responsibility distort the healing process, and what supervisors can do to create safe, human-first spaces for clinicians facing the unimaginable. This episode is a grounding, compassionate reminder that no therapist should face these moments alone — and that supervision, when done well, becomes an anchor for healing, belonging, and post-traumatic growth. Part 2 continues the conversation, moving into vicarious trauma, vicarious resilience, and how supervisors can sustain their teams and themselves.
