Exploring Psychologists’ Interventions for Transgenerational Trauma in South Africa’s Born Free Generation

Abstract

An acknowledgement that the legacy of apartheid lives on in the minds of South Africa’s born free generation necessitates an exploration of psychologists’ interventions for transgenerational trauma. This research aimed to contribute to research on this subject by interviewing South African psychologists with the ultimate objective of assisting professionals who formulate interventions. Firstly, the ways in which psychologists identify transgenerational trauma were explored. This provided a foundation for exploring the psychologists’ interventions for transgenerational trauma and contributed to a discussion of how interventions could be enhanced. Thematic analysis of the semistructured interviews revealed that stuckness paired with guilt, grief resulting from silence and certain manifestations of identity and relationship issues are identifiers of transgenerational trauma. The findings also pointed to the utility of certain approaches to individual, group, family and community interventions. Recommendations for enhancing psychologists’ interventions for transgenerational trauma in Gauteng’s born free generation revealed the imperative for psychologists to actively engage in professional and personal growth, predicated on the complexity of the challenges within.