Editor's Eye

Hello --

 

 

Until next time,

Linda Grobman, ACSW, LSW

Publisher/Editor

THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER®

 

 

 

• National Breastfeeding Month
• National Immunization Awareness Month
• World Breastfeeding Week (first week of August)
• National Health Center Week (second full week of August)

 

 

 

As social workers, we work with populations with long and complex histories of abuse and violence combined with pressing physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Even when we are not serving the most vulnerable, we still may be working with people who have endured a traumatic event, which has affected their lives and their well-being.     

 

Due in part to the recognition that traumatic events are increasingly common and that the effects of such can be negative (Briere & Scott, 2014), trauma informed care is becoming popularized among the helping professions. Although trauma and trauma informed care are complicated, understanding them better enables social workers to care for the needs of their clients from a deeply holistic perspective.

 

Thus, the intent of this article is to describe the basics of trauma, trauma informed care, and applying trauma informed care in practice and policy settings. Certainly not an exhaustive guide to trauma informed care, this is an overview intended to introduce this subject and stimulate interest in it.

 

 

Trauma does not affect everyone equally, and this is partially dependent on the age/development of the person, gender, existing risks and strengths, and available social supports (Ogden, Minton, & Pain, 2006). Because of differences in hormones and societal norms, women tend to experience trauma more intensely with longer lasting symptoms than men (Ogden, Minton, & Pain, 2006). Additionally, traumatic events that occur at younger ages are thought to have more upsetting effects, as they co-occur with brain and social skill development (Schore, 2001). Finally, existing risks (addiction and mental illness, most importantly), along with the presence of a social support system, must be taken into account when understanding why traumatic events affect people differently.

 

Traumatic symptoms can range from mild to debilitating. When symptoms interrupt daily functioning, they may constitute a formal clinical diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to the DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Traumatic symptoms are highly individualized and, as a result, can manifest in a multitude of ways. The outcomes of trauma often affect mental functioning, social interactions, and coping mechanisms. Depression and anxiety are common, as well as difficulty eating, sleeping, parenting, and working. In addition, it is not uncommon for someone to experience flashbacks or dreams of the event(s) (intrusion) or to report that they feel easily startled (hypervigilance) by stimuli in their surroundings. Some people may notice that they are dulled to what is going on around them during routine daily activities (dissociation).

 

Finally, people with trauma symptoms are prone to social isolation. These individuals attempt to control their surroundings preemptively by evading any person, place, or thing that might serve as a reminder of the trauma (avoidance). Together, these four categories of symptoms not only take away from quality of life, but also make daily interaction and communication difficult.

 

Further, those with trauma histories are at an increased risk for addiction, substance use, and other risky behaviors, such as promiscuous sex and illegal activity. It is thought that these symptoms are side effects of traumatic exposure. These behaviors are thought to be ways of learned coping to compensate for a traumatic past. As social workers, we need to address and treat the underlying cause (the trauma) first and then treat the other issues that present (substance use, risky behavior, unemployment, or anxiety). This approach reframes the idea of the presenting problem in that the issues we deem as target behaviors may not really be what the client wants to change. These problems instead may represent the client’s way of living with a trauma history. By treating the presenting problem without screening for trauma, we are, in essence, removing the client’s solution to the larger issue. This approach does not get to the root cause of the problem and may do more harm than good, as a result.

 

The key component to understanding trauma is that it is both preventable and treatable (Herman, 1992). This is where the role of social workers comes in—acting as change agents to directly influence the lives of those who have endured traumatic events. This treatment approach is called Trauma Informed Care (TIC).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job Corner

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Find jobs for new grads and experienced social work practitioners at http://www.socialworkjobbank.com, THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER’s online job board and career center.

 

News & Resources

You can preview the contents of the Parent booklet here and the Student booklet here. To request free copies of the Off to College booklets for students and parents, please fill out the "CDN Request for Materials" form here.

 

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Participate in a #MacroSW Media Night Chat, a once-a-month Twitter chat to talk about different social problems highlighted by the press. The chats will feature a video, podcast, blog post, or article that features an important topic in macro social work practice.

• Sept. 29, 2016 - Environmental Justice with Samantha Teixeira of Boston College
• Oct. 13, 2016 - Online disability advocacy: What is the role of allies? Vilissa Thompson of Ramp Your Voice & #MacroSW Chat Partner and Casey Bohrman of West Chester University
• Oct. 27, 2016 - Income Inequality with Jimmy Young of California State University San Marcos
• Nov. 17, 2016 - Language Matters in #MacroSW with Jonathan Singer of Loyola University and Sean Erreger of Stuck on Social Work
• Dec. 22. 2016 - Human Investment (Documentary Movie) with Laurel Hitchcock of the University of Alabama at Birmingham & #MacroSW Chat Partner
• Jan. 26, 2017 - Status of Child Welfare Workforce in US with Todd Sage of University of North Dakota
• Feb. 23, 2017 - Indian Child Welfare Act with Melanie Sage of University of North Dakota and National Indian Child Welfare Association
• Mar. 9, 2017 - Mass Incarceration with Becky Anthony and Jennifer Jewell of Salisbury University
• Mar. 30, 2017 - Ethics in #MacroSW Practice with Heather McCabe of Indiana University School of Social Work
• Apr. 20, 2017 - Bullied: The Jamie Nabozny Story (Documentary Movie) with Laurel Hitchcock of the University of Alabama at Birmingham & #MacroSW Chat Partner

For more information about #MacroSW, check out: https://macrosw.com/. 

 

 

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The Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) are collaborating to address the growing demand for health care case managers by giving more social workers the opportunity to earn the Commission’s Certified Case Manager® (CCM®) credential.

Under the agreement, social workers who qualify for the NASW Case Management Credential will pre-qualify to take the CCMC certification exam for the same fee. For its members, NASW will provide an additional discount.
The collaboration between the oldest and largest case manager certification body and the oldest and largest social work membership organizatio creates new opportunities for bachelor degree-level social workers (and those with advanced degrees) to play an active role in hospitals, health plans, clinics, and other health care settings. The CCM is a cross-cutting certification that validates quality and ethical practice, whether the candidate comes to board certification from nursing, social work, or another allied health field.

Research by the Commission shows a majority of employers surveyed require certification as a condition of employment; more than half value certification enough that they pay the cost to take the rigorous, research-based CCM exam. The Commission also sets the standards for professional ethics through the Code of Professional Conduct for Case Managers. Alignment in principals and ideals, expressed in standards of practice and professional conduct, were critical requirements to forge the NASW and Commission collaboration.

In Print

White Hat Communications, publisher of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine and the Social Work E-News, has published several books about social work. These books make great gifts (for graduation, holidays, or other occasions) for yourself, or for your friends, students, and colleagues in social work!

 

We also publish books on nonprofit management. Want to start your own agency? We have a book for that.

 

 

All of our books are available through our secure online store at:

 

Most are also available at Amazon.com.

 

You can also view and download our catalog in PDF format.

 

Reminders

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www.socialworker.com