Intergenerational and Historical Trauma

This chapter presents a practical guide to trauma-informed ethical decision-making in counseling and related professional practice. Our practical guide is situated within a detailed discussion of the constructs of historical and intergenerational trauma and related experiences of several cultural groups. The growing recognition of the ubiquitous nature of historical and intergenerational trauma experiences among historically minoritized groups requires that mental health professionals pay attention to not only individual manifestation of trauma, but also ethical and/or legal dilemmas that may arise in working with these individuals and communities. Yet, our review of codes of ethics of many mental health professional organizations indicates a lack of specific guidance on intergenerational or historical trauma. In addition, we note the existence of laws that may enhance or impede professional practice around intergenerational or historical trauma work. We present the case of Malia to illustrate potential ethical and legal minefields in intergenerational and historical trauma work, and ways to implement trauma-informed ethical decision-making in professional practice.