When professionals are living through the same trauma as the people they support

Since 7 October, many British Jews have been living with a heightened sense of fear, vulnerability and uncertainty that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

Alongside the anguish of watching the ongoing conflict in Israel has come an unprecedented rise in antisemitism, changing how many people feel about their safety, their identity and their place in British society. The psychological impact has been profound and, for many, shows little sign of easing.

The impact extends far beyond the individual. It has changed the way people live, work and connect with one another, affecting families, schools, universities, workplaces and communal life.

This has created a new and deeply complex landscape for the mental health professionals, therapists, community leaders and frontline workers supporting those affected. They are not only helping others process trauma, but they are also often living through the same reality themselves.

This is known as Shared Traumatic Reality – a phenomenon that challenges conventional assumptions about professional distance and raises important questions about resilience, boundaries and effective care.

This growing challenge is the focus of a professional conference to be held in London this September, where experts from NATAL – Israel’s largest and oldest trauma and resilience NGO – will join UK trauma specialists to explore what happens when the people providing support are living through the same traumatic reality as those they are trying to help.

Navigating this shared traumatic reality is challenging as the “helpers” are in unchartered waters. In Israel, mental health, emergency responders and community professionals are also grappling with this issue with trauma professionals working on an unprecedent scale, while living through the same reality as those they support.

NATAL’s helpline started getting calls at 6.30am on 7 October from Nova festival goers and residents of the Gaza envelop as soon as the terrorist attacks started. NATAL’s teams went into full crisis mode while having to cope personally with trying to comprehend what was happening and managing their own shock and horror of what was unfolding around them in real time.

Since then, its clinicians have been working on an unprecedented scale – while living through the same reality as those they support. The lessons emerging from that experience have direct relevance for anyone working with the British Jewish community.

The conference will explore how trauma extends beyond the individual – affecting families, communities and the therapeutic relationship itself. It will examine collective trauma, intergenerational transmission and practical approaches to supporting others while sustaining your own wellbeing as a professional working with the community.

Speakers include leading experts from NATAL, including its chief psychologist, Dr. Boaz Shalgi, together with Talya Greene, Professor of Trauma and Mental Health at University College London and Louise Kermode, Director of Community Mental Health at JAMI.

NATAL has been working with the UK community since last October when it was invited by UJIA to work with the Manchester community professionals and therapists immediately after the Heaton Park attack. With UJIA’s support NATAL returned to Manchester in May to continue the work. It has also held webinars and live events for various UK charities and organisations to give them the tools to manage the stress, grief and fear that many of us are carrying.

Caroline Ratner is CEO of UK Friends of NATAL. Shared Traumatic Reality: Shared Experiences – Implications of Trauma on People, Families and Communities takes place in Central London on 6 September 2026, supported by The Rayne Trust. www.ukfriendsofnatal.org/conference