In Trauma and Faith, Dr. Eriksson posed a question that caught on something inside of me and I have not been able to shake it since. She asked what we are to do with clients that are the perpetrators of trauma or whose trauma has led them to perpetuate the cycle. That stuck with me since in the field we mostly talk about treating the survivors not the perpetrators. As if divinely planned, a few weeks later I did an intake with a client at my practicum that embodied this very question. A member of a familial gang since birth, the client had experienced horrific trauma from a young age. Throughout his life, he had then inflicted great violence and trauma on those around him. My experience of sitting with this man who was both survivor and perpetrator, …show more content…
From that theory, there is an emphasis on mentalizing, or having a mind for the other. When we have a mind for the other, we can not only empathize and attune but practice mutual recognition. We can truly see the other. As Henri Nouwen says, we can learn to see the “Christ” in each other. There are so many different things that block our ability to do so. Sometimes it is warranted because there is deep pain and trauma. Sometimes I do not want to try because it is messy and a seemingly impossible task. Yet, it is the trying that counts. It is the failing over and over again that still trying that makes this journey worthwhile. Clinically, I also ascribe to the idea that it is in the rupture and repair between a client and therapist that the work is done. When we fail each other, it is the capacity for redemption and forgiveness that build bridges and not walls. I recognize that sometimes I are not able to do this kind of work because I am hurt and grieving. It does more damage to tell myself to engage in reconciliation when I am not ready. My challenge is to still have a space that someone is not the worst thing they have done to me. Even if it means that the relationship is too toxic to continue to exist, can I still see the human being and hope that redemption is possible? That is the call that I am working toward but I know that it is okay to fail. So, if I say there is a place at God’s table for everyone, I must mean it in the full messiness of that
Obviously, working with survivors of child sexual abuse, neglect, and trauma: The approach taken by the social worker in the Brandon’s case shall begin with “assessment and beginning treatment of the family because child abuse is one of a wide range practice situation in which systems concepts can be applied to help to understand the dynamics involved” in the road for healing and recovery from the physical and psychological effect of the trauma by providing adequate resources available for counseling and therapy due to the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse can be heartbreaking for the victim and the family. However, social worker approach to understanding and responds efficiently by being empathetic to the complex situation as a result; the perpetrator is the father such as in the case of Brandon (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).
Together, therapist and patient examine not only a situation that the client was involved in, but also the client’s experience of the event. This is done in the relational context of the therapeutic relationship, allowing experiences to evolve and for deepening and articulation to cause change.
What a fascinating adjustment in perspectives, motive, and determination from the once deeply connected to God the unprofessed theologian. The man who we admired for his crafty dexterity to be a Christian Apologetic emerges to be torn from the foundations of his faith and experiences of how to respond to the unspecified. This book is openly troubling for the believer because all too often we know that this is a very real situation that our author is experiencing. However, while it may appear that a staunch believer has lost his way were hastily reminded that this not the case at all. In the book "A Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis we see, what I call, a defining mature Christian transition, disruption to the norm, or bump in the road all Christians
Dr. Sandra Wilson (2001) provided great insight on why people do what they do in her book “Hurt People Hurt People”. As a Correctional Case Manager for North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in North Carolina, I have heard many stories from hurt women who have hurt others and as a result landed in prison. So many times I thought to myself that if this person had received therapy or counseling earlier in life, it’s possible that this circumstance would never have happened. Affect
It is estimated that around a dozen U.S. children will die in faith-healing cases each year. Typically associated with Christianity, Faith healing is founded on the belief that certain people or places have the ability to cure and heal sickness, disease, or injuries. Typically this “healing” is associated by a close connection to a higher power through prayer, divine intervention, or the ministration of an individual who claims himself as a healer. Faith has been scientifically proven in the field psychology to yield benefits to health. Although faith has promised a greater wellbeing for many individual’s lives, it has yet to be a significant replacement for medication many people but relaying on faith as a means for medication.
Reconciliation is affirmed with this bible verse “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”(2 Corinthians 5:18-21, ESV) , I feel this is the most important part of the FREE model and has to be tackled with good results before proceeding to the forgiveness intervention using the 4 D’s. Decision – at the step the couples will make a decision whether they want to reconcile or not , this step is very fundamental because if the couples are not ready then the forgiveness therapy cannot take place; Discussion – here the offender make confession or te couple will discuss about their wrongdoing; Detoxification – at the stage the they will talk about how to remove the poison that I the bad behavior from the offender so it will not reoccur; Devotion- The
“Often it isn’t the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but the lack of support after.” (Harrell) There is a lot of trauma a victim of sexual assault goes through. This trauma can last years if not dealt with properly, in fact, ninety-four percent of women who are raped experience post-traumatic stress disorder and seventy percent of victims experience moderate to severe distress. Melinda Sordino is also a victim of sexual assault, she’s seen going through the life of a grade nine girl trying to fit into a new environment, make new friends, and find herself, all while coping with her past. Melinda’s distant relationship with her parents leads to her lack of confidence to ask for support and becomes one of the major
Research has shown that a strong therapeutic alliance is necessary for establishing a beneficial contact between the therapist and the client. If the therapist does not encourage the creation of a reliable therapeutic alliance from the beginning of the treatment, it will be hard to develop a constructive relationship with the client later. Establishing the therapeutic alliance will increase the chances of achieving the goal of the treatment because the clients will be willing to cooperate if they trust and respect the therapist. Clients are not likely to cooperate with therapists who impose their authority aggressively. Instead of imposing their authority on the patient, therapists should develop work with their patients by building a mutual relationship based on trust, understanding, and respect for the client.
One of Anderson et al.’s (2010) key points is summed up in the following statement: “The contextual view holds that psychotherapy orientations (and other forms of healing) are equivalent in their effectiveness because of factors shared by all” (p. 145). They posit that four key factors are responsible for this success: the healing setting, the therapeutic myth, rituals prescribed by the therapeutic myth, and an emotional relationship in which one person is able to confide in another (p. 145-152).
Many counselors attribute their clients' woes to long-buried "repressed" memories of childhood sexual abuse. They help clients to unlock these, and rewrite their pasts. Clients sever all former ties with "families of origin" and surround themselves only with other "survivors", to prevent confirmation or denial.
Just as it is human nature to feel desire, it is also human nature to long for an understanding of Earth’s unanswerable questions. Prior to scientific discoveries, humans developed their own means of understanding- religion. Although religion originally served as a means to explain natural phenomenona as well as spiritual ones, as science began to answer those kinds of questions, religion evolved to explain what science could not. Questions about the meaning of life and the mortality of man were answered in various formats. Unfortunately, as it is human nature to desire knowledge, it is also human nature to physically see manifestations of this knowledge. By creating immutable answers to mutable questions, mankind accidentally created a paradox. In order to achieve the answers that men desired, they must have faith in them. Since faith and doubt go hand in hand, it is impossible to have one without the other. For some, doubt wins over and they refuse to be associated with anything spiritual. Yet others are willing to take a leap of faith and believe in the unknown, their rational minds clinging to the idea that this knowledge will perhaps grant them immortality. After all, it is only human nature to desire survival. Nevertheless, doubt often worms itself into their minds, often in times of intense emotional time periods, often brought on by the grief over losing a loved one. Since art is often a reflection of the human mind, many works of art mirror the artist’s most intense emotional experiences. An example of such a work is Sir Alfred Tennyson’s series of poems, entitled In Memoriam A.H.H. These poems follow Tennyson throughout a three year mourning period after the sudden death of his close friend, Arthur Henry H...
The human experience is what connects people to one another. What we experience defines who we are and who we become. It also defines how we interact with others. The amazing thing is that not only do the events that bring joy, peace and happiness connect us but also those that bring anxiety, fear and despair. This brings to light the fact that God somehow in his sovereignty uses all things for the good of those who love Him. These ideas are brought to light in Jerry Sittser’s book, A Grace Disguised which is his personal journey of loss and the insight and experience that was gained in the face of great tragedy. In his book, Sittser discusses various insights he has gained, such as how Christian’s view sorrow, how families recover when someone they love develops a mental disorder, and the Christian view on suffering and forgiveness. I believe that the author has written a book that has many universal truths that can be applied to anyone’s life and they have the ability to bring healing to many. His ideas can also aid professionals who work with the mentally ill in becoming more compassionate.
1.1 Demonstrate awareness of the impact of vicarious trauma on one’s own practice with families and other population
...e interaction at therapy, God will heal us and restore us beyond our wildest imagination.
Trauma relates to a type of damage to the mind that comes from a severely distressing event. A traumatic event relates to an experience or repeating events that overwhelmingly precipitated in weeks, months, or decades as one tries to cope with the current situations that can cause negative consequences. People’s general reaction to these events includes intense fear, helplessness or horror. When children experience trauma, they show disorganized or agitative behavior. In addition, the trigger of traumas includes some of the following, harassment, embarrassment, abandonment, abusive relationships, rejection, co-dependence, and many others. Long-term exposure to these events, homelessness, and mild abuse general psychological