Posttraumatic Growth in Military and Public Safety Personnel: Foundations and Clinical Applications

Bret A. Moore, Psy.D., ABPP (Boulder Crest Institute), Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D.
(Boulder Crest Institute), & Edward C. Keane, Ph.D. (Danbury Police Department)

This symposium introduces posttraumatic growth (PTG): positive psychological change that can occur as people struggle with highly challenging or traumatic experiences. Military personnel, veterans, and public safety professionals face significant exposure to trauma. While clinical care has traditionally focused on symptoms and impairment, PTG offers a complementary way to understand how people may find meaning, strengthen relationships, develop resilience, and renew their sense of purpose after adversity.

Participants will learn about PTG theory, research, and practice, with an emphasis on military and public safety settings. The session will examine the cognitive, existential, and narrative processes associated with growth after trauma. It will also review research involving combat veterans, first responders, and others exposed to trauma, including how growth and ongoing distress can coexist.

The symposium will explore practical applications in peer support, leadership, and organizations. Participants will be introduced to “Expert Companionship,” an approach centered on collaborative meaning-making and personal transformation. The session will consider how PTG-informed approaches can complement evidence-based trauma treatment by recognizing the importance of identity, service, sacrifice, and long-term development.

This session is intended for psychologists, other mental health professionals, peer support specialists, organizational leaders, and graduate students who work with military personnel, veterans, law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, corrections professionals, and other public safety groups.