Humanities Homework Help
Southern New Hampshire University Evidence Based Interventions Used in Trauma Responses
Respond to at least two colleagues in the following ways:
- Based on the needs your colleague identified, explain some of the factors the mental health community could address in both types of traumatic events.
- Explain skills your colleague could develop to address the traumas described in their articles.
Colleague 1: Tiffany
Mass shootings appear to be happening more and more these days. With that being said the treatment needed by individuals involved is only going to continue to increase. “Simply by definition, mass shootings are more likely to trigger difficulties with beliefs that most of us have, including that we live in a just world and that if we make good decisions, we’ll be safe” (Novotney, 2018). “Research also suggests that mass shooting survivors may be at greater risk for mental health difficulties compared with people who experience other types of trauma, such as natural disasters. “The National Center for PTSD estimates that 28 percent of people who have witnessed a mass shooting develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and about a third develop acute stress disorder” (Novotney, 2018). A study conducted after the 2008 shootings on NIU’s campus, “found that although a large percentage of mass shooting survivors were either resilient or displayed only short-term stress reactions, about 12 percent reported persistent PTSD, a number that’s higher than the average prevalence of PTSD among trauma survivors as a whole” (Novotney, 2018). After the initial shock wears off survivor’s typically develop a number of symptoms such as fear, anger, anxiety, difficulty paying attention, depression and disturbed sleep. This is the phase where we can step in and provide the much needed supports. There are two programs out there that help survivors rebuild the skills needed to cope with the trauma. These programs help people not only with coping skills but also how to rebuild their faith in the community as a whole. The “two evidence-based programs are often used to help survivors manage their stress are: the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and the Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) programs” (Novotney, 2018).
Now when it comes to interpersonal trauma such as childhood sexual abuse, things are much different. According to a recent study its estimated that “8%−12% of children and adolescents in the United States have experienced at least one type of sexual assault in their lifetime” (Hanson & Wallis, 2018). Many of these victims suffer with “posttraumatic stress disorder, including re-experiencing symptoms (e.g., nightmares, frequent stomachaches when reminded of the abuse), avoidance of thoughts, feelings, or reminders of the abuse, negative thoughts and feelings (e.g., self-blame about what happened, loss of interest in activities, feeling alone and isolated), and trauma-related arousal (e.g., increased irritability, difficulty sleeping and concentrating in school)” (Hanson & Wallis, 2018). A well-known treatment for this kind of trauma is trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is where the child and their parent would meet with the counselor on a weekly basis to talk about the trauma related symptoms they are experiencing. “An important component of trauma-focused CBT is the inclusion of the caregiver in sessions as a way to build support, teach the same skills being taught to the child, increase communication about the traumatic event, and increase the likelihood that skill acquisition would generalize to the home environment” (Hanson & Wallis, 2018). Even with these interventions it’s important to remember that the child was most likely exposed to the sexual trauma multiple times. There for symptoms can present well into adulthood.
We can clearly see that there is a big difference between the two traumas. The mass shooting is over in 10-15 min and most people only experience this one. While the childhood sexual trauma most likely occurred over a longer period of time. However, with that said some of the psychological impacts are very much the same with both. The difference seems to be that the mass shooting survivors tend to recover faster and their symptoms are not as severe. It was a trauma that was not expected and occurred quickly. Often times the children can be groomed for months prior to the assault taking place. Many times the perpetrator makes the child feel about themselves or that they will harm their family if they say something.
References
Hanson, R. F., & Wallis, E. (2018). Treating Victims of Child Sexual Abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(11), 1064–1070. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.18050578
Novotney, A. (2018, September). What happens to the survivors? Https://Www.apa.org. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2018/09/survivors
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Colleague 2: Kimberly
- Post the APA references for the two studies you located.
Haugen, P. T., Splaun, A. K., Evces, M. R., & Weiss, D. S. (2013). Integrative approach for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in 9/11 first responders: three core techniques. Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.), 50(3), 336–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/a00325264344. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124344
Hanson, R. & Wallis, E. Treating Victims of Child Sexual Abuse. American Journal of Psychiatry 2018 175:11, 1064-1070
- Provide a brief description of the traumatic events, including a summary of how they affected the individuals involved.
Among human-made disasters, terrorist events, and mass murders, the attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) on September 11th, 2001 (9/11) stands out as an event resulting in nearly 3000 deaths on the day of the attacks, as well as extensive long-term health effects. Those who witnessed these events and have lived are facing PTSD as well as other extensive long-term health effects.
Childhood sexual abuse is generally defined as a form of child abuse that involves sexual activity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines childhood sexual abuse as “any completed or attempted (noncompleted) sexual act, sexual contact with, or exploitation of a child by a caregiver.” Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with increased risk for a multitude of acute and long-term psychological and physical health problems, including depression, posttraumatic stress, and substance abuse problems, as well as sexual revictimization in adolescence and adulthood.
- Describe the interventions discussed in the articles and explain how they addressed the psychosocial issues and needs of the individuals affected by the trauma.
In this article one of the interventions discussed was integrative psychosocial intervention. integrative psychosocial intervention uses a more active therapeutic stance than most psychodynamic therapies and strategic use of select CBT interventions. The primary goal is to assist individuals in coming to terms with the unique, idiosyncratic meaning of the event to which they have been exposed.
In this article one of the interventions discussed was a trauma-focused treatment that have empirical support for children and adolescents are cognitive-behavioral therapies, with several common cross-cutting elements. These elements include psychoeducation about trauma and its impact (e.g., PTSD); affective modulation skills, such as relaxation and controlled breathing; gradual exposure to trauma memories; and cognitive processing to address unhelpful or inaccurate cognitions, such as guilt or self-blame.
- Explain the effectiveness of the interventions, as stated in the articles.
As stated in the article these interventions are components of a cohesive, integrative treatment combined with elements of cognitive-behavioral therapies tailored to this population. This treatment is to help the patient to, “reestablish a sense of purpose and meaning in life, and hope for the future, in spite of the fear and loss inspired by the trauma”
As stated in the article repeated exposure to details of the trauma supports the individual in dealing with the trauma related emotions and helps them improve by processing the traumatic event. which has been demonstrated to facilitate recovery.
- Analyze and discuss the similarities and differences in the individuals’ needs depending on whether the issues occurred due to a national traumatic event or an interpersonal trauma.
There were several similarities within the articles, no matter if the trauma was faced individually or on a national level there is still support needed to over come the issues that they faced. One difference is that on a national level everyone knows about the trauma that you faced therefore it is easier for the individual to seek help. Whereas those who faced it on a personal level they have to be able to seek support, without the social worker already having knowledge of the event.
Kimberly Daniels
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