Recognizing Secondary Trauma Stress

Social workers react to reports and take those in danger of neglect to a safer environment. “Being a social worker isn’t the easiest job to do, to succeed you have to be mentally strong and actually look forward to going to work” (Martinez). As a social worker you view the world differently from the cases you handle in an everyday bases

Sitting in the middle of the floor was a sixteen year old girl who had just finished a basketball game. Usually after games, the girl would sit with the rest of the team to watch the boys play. Instead, the girl walked out of the gym with tears freely falling from her cheeks hoping nobody would notice them. After she had sat down, a few members of the team noticed her absence and went looking for her. The reason the girl didn’t want to be seen with tears was because some others on the team had been experiencing the same thing that she was. What this girl was experiencing was emotional trauma created by her male coach. The

Social workers are often exposed to dangerous and unpredictable situations. I consider the process of removing children from their homes as being one of the most dangerous settings for a social worker. These settings are difficult for both the workers and the parents, as well as for the children being removed. The feelings and emotions that parents could feel in these contexts, such as guilt, sadness, anger, could become overwhelming. My fear is that the conflict could easily escalate and turn into a violent situation.

Social workers deal with intense situations daily. It is important that social workers are aware of how they are affected by these interactions. Priscilla Dass-Brailsford explains in her book, that countertransference, vicarious trauma (VT), secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and satisfaction, and burnout are all different ways that counselors can be affected (Dass-Brailsford, 2007). This is where it is important for social workers to have a plan of self-care and stress management resources to use.

Sean and his aunt were in a good mood when the QP met with them for a session.

It will be important to conduct the trauma based assessment as early as possible. However, it is vital that a therapeutic rapport be established with the client before proceeding in asking questions regarding the trauma. It takes time for a traumatized individual to trust and be willing to disclose their experiences. When it is felt that the client is ready it is important to let the client know that they have the right to not answer questions. It is important to discuss why we are asking the questions and ensuring the client that we have their best interests in mind and can provide them with a safe and secure location to work through the trauma.

All child protective services caseworkers are at all time expected to adhere not only to SC DSS policies and procedures, but all interactions with children and their families must be guided by the Child protective services imperatives and these imperatives are realistic and goals set forth by the agency are achievable. Weekly self-monitoring and supervisory monitoring allow for individuals to achieve and adhere to the performance standards and more importantly to assure that all children are safe. Oversight of worker safety and child safety are at the upmost importance of agency staff, although at times many caseworkers can note times where they personally did not feel

The Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI), originally published by the Psychological Assessment Resources, in 1995 and created by John Briere Ph. D., is utilized to evaluate acute and chronic posttraumatic symptomology. The materials associated with administering this test include the use of a computer with Windows XP, 7, 8, or 10, must maintain a NTFS file system, CD-ROM drive for installation, internet connection or a telephone in order to activate. One can download all of the other necessary materials from PariConnect, which include the introductory kit, necessary software, professional manuals, scoring sheets, among other reusable booklets. Prices range from $52.00 upwards to $375.00.

That is why I believe that anyone that wants to be a social worker should take the time to watch a video, read some pamphlets, periodicals, or do a job shadowing of a social worker to see if that is the right profession for you. As a first responder, we are at risk of seeing a lot of traumatic situations. I know a lady that has gone through nursing school and decided to pursue another career after experiencing a day in the surgical room. However, you have to have some love for people and a willing heart to be a good social worker. I am not yet a social worker, but I know that I have a big heart which I believe is not enough to stay in this profession, but I am willing to try. If I notice that because of my stress level, I am not doing well at my job, I planned on seeking a professional help to assist me or join a group session. For me, PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) can be one of the long-term impacts of social work first responders because of what we see or experience on a regular

I believe that the most challenging aspect of working in protective services is separating work from home. Being able to "leave work at work" is difficult to do for any position, especially when considering deadlines that must be met and paperwork that must be completed. Working in protective services provides the additional challenge of leaving the horrifying images and circumstances that a service worker will see and face at the door before entering the home. Protective services appeals to me specifically because I want to assist children and families in facing some of the darkest moments in their lives. While it is difficult to separate work from home, working in protective services is one of the most worthwhile things one can do and one

The Child protective services (CPS) is formed of social workers who are the forefront of

The United States has made sure to give veterans the respect and love they need for risking their lives to keep our country and freedoms safe. From national holidays to early retirement, the government has done everything they can to help aid the veterans once they return from combat. However, with the duty of protecting our country comes the risk of veterans’ lives. Even if they survive they will have aliments that will affect them for the rest of their lives. Most of the aliments people associates with veterans returning home from battle are physical, such as losing an arm or a leg. However, the mental effects of war are far more serious than any physical wound a person could ever have. Experiencing the horror of war effects how soldiers

The client Maria has several issues that are very concerning. The first being domestic violence. The second is her health with an unexpected pregnancy. The third problematic issue is her disassociation from her family and friends. These traumatic events are causing her to have emotional imbalance such as feeling sad, anxious, and depressed. As a counselor, it prevalent to make the following assessments on Maria. The types of assessment are DSM 5 Disorder-Specific Severity Measures—Severity of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, (National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale [NSESS]) and Early Development and Home Background—Cultural Formulation Interview, Informant Version.

Large caseloads and excessive workloads in many jurisdictions make it difficult for child welfare workers to serve families effectively (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). Other reasons that caseworker’s leave were due to the danger involved and extreme stress. Some caseworker were so behind; they were caught lying to get caught up on the workload.

Thompson and colleagues (2009): Physical and sexual abuse was moderately positively correlated with positive symptom severity (especially grandiosity) among ethnic minority participants (N=17), while general trauma was positively correlated with affective symptoms among Caucasian participants (N=13).