“Therapists are Sometimes Leaking Containers” Social Work Students’ Professional Identity Formation in the Shadow of War

The profound effects of working within shared traumatic realities (STRs) on experienced social workers are well-documented and raise critical concerns about training students in such contexts. However, only limited research has addressed the training of students in the context of STRs related to terrorism and war, with little emphasis on professional identity formation in these contexts. Drawing on a thematic analysis of twelve reflective written assignments, this qualitative study explored the process of professional identity formation in the STR context from the subjective perspective of Israeli third-year social work students during the 2023-24 war with Hamas. Training social workers against the background of war was unsettling and challenging, but it also bolstered professional development and resilience. In this context, professional identity formation was identified as involving three main personal and professional processes: (1) Questioning one’s professional competence; (2) Blurred boundaries between personal and professional; and (3) Developing personal resilience and professional growth. These findings underscore that exposure to extreme traumatic events in the early stage of professional identity formation can easily destabilize the already fragile identity of social work students, and thus requires unique attention to its implications for social work education and practice.