Trauma Informed Paper Based on Judith Hermans Book
Trauma Informed Practice Trauma and recovery are critical issues in social work and in working with clients. Judith Herman (1997) discusses the importance of working with trauma and recovery and how violence can alter and affect client situations. Recovery involves utilization of trauma informed care to help the client recover from their trauma and requires copious effort on the part of the therapist and the client.
Integration of Trauma Informed Care Trauma informed care becomes essential in working with clients who have experienced trauma as it is based on an understanding of the vulnerabilities of those who have experienced trauma to avoid re-traumatization. One way in which trauma informed care can be utilized in my social work practice is by establishing safety for the client. According to Malikoetter (2011), helping clients feel safe by consistently responding to them in moment to moment interactions creates new neutral pathways in the brain (p.18). Safety is a basic human need and for those that have been traumatized and healing must start by creating safety (Bath, p. 19). In creating safe environments there needs to be consistency, reliability, predictability, availability, honesty and transparency (Bath, p.19). Safety is further enhanced when staff and provider adhere to confidentiality polices (Elliot, Bjelajac, Fallot, Markoff & Reed, 2005, p. 467). Herman also discuses safety especially in situations of domestic violence as the abuser in most instances is a known person and the community may rally against the victim (p. 62). Safety becomes an important concern for the traumatized client as the social worker does not want them to be re-traumatized by their environment. Another way trauma informed care can be utilized in my practice is through trust. Creating a web of support and acting with emotional awareness can foster a trust in the client that otherwise may not be achieved (Malikoetter, p. 19). Restructuring negative associations so
Integration of Trauma Informed Care Trauma informed care becomes essential in working with clients who have experienced trauma as it is based on an understanding of the vulnerabilities of those who have experienced trauma to avoid re-traumatization. One way in which trauma informed care can be utilized in my social work practice is by establishing safety for the client. According to Malikoetter (2011), helping clients feel safe by consistently responding to them in moment to moment interactions creates new neutral pathways in the brain (p.18). Safety is a basic human need and for those that have been traumatized and healing must start by creating safety (Bath, p. 19). In creating safe environments there needs to be consistency, reliability, predictability, availability, honesty and transparency (Bath, p.19). Safety is further enhanced when staff and provider adhere to confidentiality polices (Elliot, Bjelajac, Fallot, Markoff & Reed, 2005, p. 467). Herman also discuses safety especially in situations of domestic violence as the abuser in most instances is a known person and the community may rally against the victim (p. 62). Safety becomes an important concern for the traumatized client as the social worker does not want them to be re-traumatized by their environment. Another way trauma informed care can be utilized in my practice is through trust. Creating a web of support and acting with emotional awareness can foster a trust in the client that otherwise may not be achieved (Malikoetter, p. 19). Restructuring negative associations so