As the impact of trauma on clients becomes a greater focus, the profession is also considering the secondary trauma that social workers experience due to interacting with client trauma. Social workers need to understand boundaries and triggers and ensure sufficient self-care to balance needs (van Dernoot Lipsky & Burk, 2009). Otherwise, they will not be able to sufficiently care for their clients. Part of self-care can include the practice of self-compassion, where social workers provide themselves with the same empathetic attention they devote to their clients.
In this Discussion, you provide self-care strategies you may use during your social work education and as you progress through your social work career. You also consider the importance of self-care, especially as it relates to trauma work.
van Dernoot Lipsky, L., & Burk, C. (2009). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
strategies for self-care that you plan to engage in during your academic and professional career.
Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2019). An introduction to the profession of social work: Becoming a change agent (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
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verelynegativeeffectsonpeopleshealth.Inchildrentoxicstresscansuppress.pdf
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sufficientsleepexercise.pdf
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USEFUL NOTES FOR:
the impact of trauma on clients
Introduction
Trauma is a widely used word in the mental health field. It’s used to describe symptoms that can occur as a result of traumatic experiences, and it involves changes in brain chemistry and nervous system function. However, trauma has many different causes and affects people differently. For example, some people may experience trauma-related symptoms while others do not at all.
Trauma can lead to high levels of stress, which may trigger physiological reactions including changes in brain chemistry and the nervous system.
Stress is a natural response to danger. It can help you survive, but it can also be bad for your health.
Trauma can lead to high levels of stress, which may trigger physiological reactions including changes in brain chemistry and the nervous system.
The result of this reaction is what we call “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD). PTSD is characterized by intrusive thoughts about the event or actions related to it; avoidance of reminders; emotional numbing; increased arousal/sleep problems; hypervigilance or exaggerated startle response (e.g., jumping when someone says something); difficulty concentrating on other things (including schoolwork) due to intrusive thinking about traumatic events experienced within the past month or longer if no longer than three months ago; feeling constantly threatened even though there are no real threats present around you right now!
Trauma can cause symptoms such as avoidance, hypervigilance, re-experiencing, intrusive thoughts, negative self-talk, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Trauma can cause symptoms such as avoidance, hypervigilance, re-experiencing, intrusive thoughts, negative self-talk and depression. These symptoms may be physical or emotional in nature. Symptoms may include:
Avoidance of places or people that remind the person of the traumatic event
Intrusive thoughts about the trauma (e.g., “I wish I hadn’t seen that”)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder involving exposure to trauma.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder involving exposure to trauma. It can be caused by a single event, such as a car accident or natural disaster, or a series of events, such as childhood abuse or military combat.
In addition to the symptoms of PTSD that affect people directly affected by the traumatic experience (e.g., flashbacks), there are also secondary effects on family members and friends who are close to those who have experienced trauma:
Family members may feel guilty for not doing enough for their loved ones after experiencing trauma; this guilt can lead them into negative feelings about themselves and others in general
Friendships between people who have been affected by trauma may suffer from breakups based on lack of communication between partners during times when support would be most helpful
PTSD is diagnosed when an individual has three or more symptoms related to a symptom cluster such as re-experiencing a traumatic event.
Trauma is a type of stress response that involves an actual or threatened threat to physical health. This can be caused by any event that leads to fear, helplessness and horror. The body’s response is to shut down and protect itself from further harm, but this reaction can lead to lasting damage if not addressed properly.
Trauma symptoms include:
Flashbacks – Recurring memories or images of the traumatic event; they may seem real at times but aren’t actually happening in reality
A trauma-focused treatment such as Cognitive Processing Therapy teaches skills to manage thoughts and feelings related to trauma.
A trauma-focused treatment such as Cognitive Processing Therapy teaches skills to manage thoughts and feelings related to trauma. These methods can be used in conjunction with other treatments for anxiety disorders, such as exposure therapy or CBT, which focuses on reexposure (re-exposing yourself) to your triggers.
Skills training can help people become more resilient to the effects of trauma.
At the same time, trauma can cause physical reactions such as heart rate increases and blushing. It also may trigger symptoms such as avoidance, hypervigilance (watching for danger), re-experiencing (the experience of something that has happened before), intrusive thoughts about a traumatic event and negative self-talk.
Traumatic memories are stored in the brain and affect how we think about ourselves in relation to others and our future selves; they may also affect our ability to trust other people or ourselves again after the trauma has passed.
Conclusion
Trauma can lead to high levels of stress, which may trigger physiological reactions including changes in brain chemistry and the nervous system. Trauma can cause symptoms such as avoidance, hypervigilance, re-experiencing, intrusive thoughts, negative self-talk, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder involving exposure to trauma. PTSD is diagnosed when an individual has three or more symptoms related to a symptom cluster such as re-experiencing a traumatic event. A trauma-focused treatment such as Cognitive Processing Therapy teaches skills to manage thoughts and feelings related to trauma