Document Type : Original Article
Researchers
1 Allameh Tabatabaei, Tehran, Iran.
2 Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Individuals working in helping professions are at risk of becoming indirect victims of the same trauma due to their repeated and close interactions with people who have directly experienced traumatic events. The therapist’s repeated review of the client’s traumatic event may activate their own early maladaptive schemas. It is presumed that early maladaptive schemas can influence the experience of secondary traumatic stress. Individuals who score high in domains of early maladaptive schemas experience secondary traumatic stress more intensely. However, positive psychological resources, including self‑compassion and psychological flexibility, can function as mediating variables and serve as mechanisms that play a central role in reducing the detrimental effects of early maladaptive schemas on mental health. As several studies conducted on populations other than psychotherapists indicate, self‑compassion and psychological flexibility are negatively associated with early maladaptive schemas and can mediate the relationship between schemas and psychological distress. Therefore, although these studies indirectly support the mediating role of self‑compassion and psychological flexibility in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and psychological outcomes, generalizing their findings to secondary trauma in psychotherapists remains limited. This scientific gap hinders the development of targeted preventive and educational interventions for psychotherapists. The present study aims to examine these relationships and provide a clear structural model, thereby addressing the existing gap in the scientific literature and offering practical insights for improving the mental health and professional functioning of therapists.