This document is an academic textbook chapter titled “What is Traumatic Stress?” by Kempie van Rooyen, taken from Trauma Counselling: Principles and Practice in South Africa Today.



The chapter provides a theoretical and practical overview of traumatic stress, aimed primarily at students and trainee counsellors. It explains what traumatic stress is, how it differs from general distress or crisis, and how counsellors can identify and understand trauma-related responses in clients.