Counselors work with clients with traumatic experience and are exposed to these trauma-based situations commonly. As a result, exposure to trauma cases may have a significant impact on them. These trauma cases may include but are limited to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, emotional abuse, being in a war, natural disaster, suicide crisis, etc. Although counselors do not actually experience these trauma experience, literature has indicated that counselors may be vicarious traumatized because of hearing and processing their clients’ presenting trauma, leading to adverse impacts on these counselors.
Trauma is defined as having a deeply distressing or disturbing experience, or having a physical injury.
What is the impact of historical trauma on a particular client population? How can Trauma Informed principals be used to reduce the impact of historical trauma on specific clients?
The goal of training the staff and providers is to create a more understanding environment for the clients. This will be possible because the staff can recognize symptoms of posttraumatic-stress disorder, explore the client’s trauma and coping mechanisms, and decrease the need for medical attention. This goal can be measured by comparing the clients feedback before and after the training occurs. Trauma-informed care also teaches the clinician working with the client the symptoms of secondary trauma, retraumatization, and vicarious trauma to be on the look-out for. Their own self-care and how to handle and cope with the intense information of the client’s story will be discussed.
The term “Psychological trauma” refers to damage wrought from a traumatic event, which that damages one’s ability to cope with stressors. “Trauma” is commonly defined as an exposure to a situation in which a person is confronted with an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to self or others’ physical well-being (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Specific types of client trauma frequently encountered by which therapists and other mental health workers frequently encounter in a clinical setting include sexual abuse, physical , or sexual assault, natural disasters such as earthquakes or tsunamis, domestic violence, and school or/and work related violence (James & Gilliland, 2001). Traumatic
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.
An apartment complex in Denver, Colorado is testing out a new approach to addressing homelessness by introducing trauma-informed care principles into housing.
In the third case study, Sarah suffered from sexual assault when a stranger broke into her home. Like physical abuse, sexual abuse is an interpersonal trauma, which causes the most severe outcomes because the trauma is intentional. Sarah feels ashamed and guilty about the assault. She questions whether she should have resisted the attacker more when he began advancing at her. She also feels as though it is her fault for playing her music to loud which caused her to not be able to hear the intruder. After the attack, she has felt stupid and dirty and she has begun withdrawing from others including her husband and children. She thinks about the event constantly and imagines different scenarios happening. She has started experiencing intrusive
Dingman, R. L., & Ginter, E. J. (1995). Disasters and crises: The role of mental health counseling. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 17(3), 259. Accessed online: http://www.scientificreply.com/the-effects-of-trauma-on-clients-and-counselors.html
On Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at about 1541 hours while represent at Brooklyn Special Victim Unit, located at 653 Grand Ave, Brooklyn, Sgt. Smolarsky, SVU and I interviewed Ms. Ryan-Mary Roberts. The following is a detail description of what transpired;
The client name is Johnny. He is an eight-year-old, low SES African American male. He identified himself as Black. He lives with a seven-year-old stepbrother and mother in an independent home in inner city of Milwaukee. The client was referred to intensive outpatient unit by his mother due to suicidal / homicidal ideations (almost daily), impulsive / disruptive behaviors and mood instability both at home and school. Mother was also worried about his sexualized behaviors towards brother, cousin and peers. The client’s behavioral and emotional problems started at the age of four. He has multiple inpatient admissions over the past three years (Mom believes at least five admissions). The client had a multiple trauma history including sexual and
The Golden hour. In the field this is a term that was created by R Adams Cowley, MD, meaning that if a critical patient receives medical care within an hour, their chance of survival rises substantially. Within that hour a trauma patient will interact with several people, one of them being a Trauma Doctor, which is the career choice that I have chosen for myself. Trauma doctors evaluate, diagnose, stabilize and manage patients who have experienced some type of physical traumatic injury. Trauma doctors are usually trauma surgeons who have specialized critical care surgery training. The Trauma surgeon is a vital part of the golden hour, because within that hour if the patient can receive surgery the likelihood of the patient living heightens. The responsibilities of
Better Way of Miami (BWOM) treatment center has made it a priority to make sure that its administrative staff and therapists have knowledge about trauma and how it has played a significant role in disrupting clients' ability to have healthy interpersonal dynamics, interpersonal relationships, and life- management. Further, BWOM appears to be a trauma-informed organization that integrates “best practice” trauma-informed therapy in IC’s sessions and therapeutic intervention groups in order impact to educate clients how to set boundaries, seek safety, and coping skills against triggers that can otherwise be hazardous to their overall well-being.
The therapists that were used were a nurse therapist and a clinical psychologist. In sessions 1 through 5 of Exposure Therapy subjects were asked to imagine their previous trauma memories. Patients were asked to talk in first person tense about what they experienced, and then were asked to imagine and describe critical aspects of the trauma and "rewind and hold"
When I decided to take the trauma course, I was hesitant at first to take it. I did not know what to expect nor felt I would be prepare listen to stories about traumatic occurrences, despite of the number of years I have worked in the field of community mental health. Therefore, now that we are in week eight, I am delighted to have taken this course. The impression I had at first, has changed my insight concerning what is trauma, as for many years, I did not understand why a person in many instances, could not process their trauma. In a quote by Chang stated, “The greater the doubt, the greater the awakening; the smaller the doubt, the smaller the awakening. No doubt, no awakening” (Van Der Kolk, 2014, p. 22). The goes in congruence with my understanding on trauma and how it has changed during this course. As a result, I feel I am awakening when acquiring more about trauma.
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).