Abstract
Personal and professional factors, alongside intrinsic and extrinsic motivations , play a role in people's decision to enrol in higher education courses, such as psychology and counselling. A desire to support people is often at the centre of this choice with some practitioners recognising a motivation to support people who have experienced situations similar to their own. These personal experiences are often distressing or traumatic, with links to anxiety, depression, and poor health. Psychology and counselling students wishing to deepen their studies and engage with graduate research enter an environment with disproportionately high rates of abuse, anxiety , and depression. In addition, there are unique mental health risks associated with psychological research. Graduate psychology and counselling students may choose research projects in affinity with their intrinsic motivations. It is therefore important to consider the unique relationship psychology graduate research students have with trauma as they navigate research that is potentially intimately related to their own vulnerabilities. Psychology and counselling programmes need trauma-informed practices to be proactive and responsive to students' needs. Connection, belongingness, voice, acknowledgement, consideration, and personal agency are necessary for students to be equipped to reach their highest potential. In this chapter, we will: (a) outline the current state of trauma-informed pedagogies and practices with undergraduate and graduate students in psychology and counselling, and (b) provide strategies to further integrate and enhance trauma-informed pedagogies for these students.