Using Superheroes to Address Trauma, Loss, and Resilience: Lessons from The Batman Group

At their most basic level the appeal to identifying with superheroes is that they are empowering. However, in the origins of almost every superhero story there is usually trauma and loss and quite often the loss of an important attachment figure. Harrington and Neimeyer (2021) note that the superhero story is often one of “the emergence from the vulnerability of traumatic loss through a transformative process”. For our clients who are struggling with trauma and loss, often in ways that can cause harm to others, the superhero story can provide an alternative view that focuses on caring for others by highlighting our personal strengths and skills while also being aware of our vulnerabilities.

This workshop will look at how superhero stories can be used in different aspects of treatment and how they can shape the client’s own trauma narrative and transformative process.

At the conclusion of this Lunch and Learn session, participants will be able to: 

• Discuss how utilizing superhero stories can facilitate treatment engagement
• Examine the elements of the superhero stories and their parallels to trauma focused treatment
• Explore ways to integrate the superhero narratives into different modalities of treatment (individual, group, family)

March 28, 2023 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST. Register here.