Professional Identity and Role Restriction in Trauma-Informed Clinical Social Work: A Qualitative Narrative Analysis

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is increasingly promoted as a system-wide framework across behavioral health and social service systems. Clinical social workers frequently provide services to trauma-affected individuals and communities; however, their participation in trauma-focused intervention is often shaped by uneven training pathways, organizational policies, and interprofessional hierarchies that influence whose expertise is recognized. This qualitative narrative study examines how licensed clinical social workers describe their trauma-related preparedness, the organizational and interdisciplinary conditions that constrain or enable trauma-informed practice, and the identity consequences of role restriction. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine licensed clinical social workers. Narratives were analyzed using a structured approach informed by Wolcott’s (1994) three-phase model (description, analysis, interpretation), allowing systematic organization of participant accounts and contextual interpretation of meaning. Findings highlight (a) variability in perceived trauma preparation across educational pathways, (b) reliance on self-directed and post-graduate learning to acquire trauma competencies, (c) recurring experiences of external scrutiny and assumptions that trauma work “belongs” to other disciplines, and (d) organizational practices that restrict trauma-focused intervention based on professional title rather than demonstrated competence. Participants linked role restriction to fragmentation of care, delayed access to trauma-responsive services, and erosion of professional confidence in some settings. The study contributes to trauma-informed workforce development scholarship by conceptualizing trauma competence as both technical (skills and knowledge) and political (recognition and jurisdiction). Implications are discussed for competency-based education, supervision, and organizational privileging practices that align role assignment with demonstrated competence rather than stereotypes about discipline. Such alignment may improve interdisciplinary collaboration and expand access to trauma-responsive services.