Posted At : March 11, 2010 4:35 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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BE A PART OF THE PROGRAM! Find out how to submit your presentation for possible inclusion in the 26th Annual Meeting. ISTSS will be accepting submissions from February 1 - March 16, 2010, 5:00 p.m. CST
Posted At : March 11, 2010 4:30 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor Published: 6:13PM GMT 11 Mar 2010
The news came as the Prince of Wales launched an appeal by the charity Combat Stress to raise £30million to pay for better mental health services for veterans across the UK.
So far 180,000 British troops have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. General Dannatt, the former Chief of the General Staff, said that as many as 8,500 former servicemen of these will develop mental health problems.
General Dannatt said: “We are only seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of psychological problems”, largely because the psychological scars from the intense battles will only become apparent years after the servicemen and women have left the forces.
Chai Patel, the chairman of the appeal who has pledged £1million towards it, suggested the figure could be as high as 50,000 veterans who showed some sort of mental health problem relating to their time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Enemy Within appeal is hoping to raise £30million for a national network of community out-reach teams to support former servicemen and women who are suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Figures published today by the charity show the numbers of veterans being treated by the charity has jumped by two thirds in just five years, with more than 1,177 former servicemen approaching the charity in the past year alone.
This figure could rise sharply among the 17,000 servicemen who leave the forces every year because of the intense fighting by overstretched troops in recent years in Iraq, and now in Afghanistan.
Johnson Beharry, a serving Lance Corporal who was awarded the Victoria Cross for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes in Iraq in 2004, said he hoped former colleagues who had left the services were receiving help.
He said: “In the day I keep busy and I don’t have time to reflect. But at night, when there is no one to speak to, and I am lying there, it all comes back to me. Sleeping is an issue for me.
“When I am asleep I am back on the battlefield. If there is a siren or a car alarm goes off it can take me back to the battlefield.”
Among other guests was the Duke of Westminster, who has visited troops in Afghanistan and Iraq on 17 occasions, set that he hoped the appeal would raise the profile of mental health issues among veterans.
He said: “It is the whole complexity of what we are dealing with. The time-lag between leaving the services and showing the symptons of post traumatic stress disorder is 14 years. It is a long time.”
Tony Banks, a healthcare millionaire who served with the 2Bn The Parachute Regiment in Falklands, said had only recently been able to come to terms with the horrors he witnessed on the battlefield.
He said: “I had my dark times. I was affected by the war and the conflict.”
Politicians also supported Combat Stress’s appeal, which is being backed by The Daily Telegraph. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrats’ leader, said: “Every week in parliament we talk about the tragic loss of life for British Armed Forces.
“This is about people serving in the armed forces that do come home, but with terrible psychological scars. These are scars that need to be healed and I am proud to back this campaign by Combat Stress.”
Maria Eagle, the prisons minister, said she was working hard to establish how many veterans are on probation, and help stop veterans with undiagnosed psychological problems from their service ending up in the criminal justice system.
In January the minister disclosed that 2,500 former servicemen and women were in prison - the first time the Government has ever produced official figures.
A hard-hitting television advert supporting the appeal, which shows a veteran cowering in his kitchen as he imagines himself back on the battlefield, airs from Thursday night and can be watched here.
Anyone who wants to donate can send a cheques payable to “Combat Stress” to the charity at Tyrwhitt House, Oaklawn Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 0BX. Or donate online at: www.combatstress.org.uk/enemywithinappeal.
Posted At : March 3, 2010 11:01 AM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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March 2, 2010
People who have drunk a moderate amount of alcohol before a traumatic event report more flashbacks than those who have had no alcohol, according to new research at UCL (University College London).
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Posttraumatic Stress - Investigational Treatment Study for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - www.CopeStudy.com
The results may give new insight into why some individuals develop post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a traumatic event and others do not.
Published online today in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers also found that those who drank a large amount of alcohol before a traumatic event did not report an increase in the number of flashbacks.
"Many people who experience a personally traumatic event such as rape or a road traffic accident have consumed alcohol beforehand. For the first time, this research gives us an idea of how being under the influence of alcohol might contribute to our wellbeing later on," said James Bisby, from UCL's Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, who led the research.
Scientists believe that the findings can be attributed to how alcohol affects two types of memory: one that is egocentric, providing a visual 'snapshot' of an event, and another that stores a mental representation of the context of the event, which is independent of the person's viewpoint.
The authors of the study suggest that contextual memory is reduced in those who experience high levels of stress and this reduction may be exaggerated in those who have had a couple of glasses of wine (around three units). This allows egocentric memories to be involuntarily re-experienced - resulting in more flashbacks. In those that have drunk seven or more units of alcohol both types of memory are disrupted leading to fewer flashbacks and an overall reduction in memory for the event.
During the study, nearly 50 participants consumed either alcohol or a placebo drink and then performed a virtual reality task designed to examine how an experienced event is stored within memory. They were then shown a video of serious road traffic accidents and recorded the number of times they spontaneously re-experienced any of the footage, i.e. had a flashback, over the following 7 days.
"People who had been given a small amount of alcohol showed reductions in memory that relies on contextual aspects of an event, whereas memory based on an egocentric representation was intact. However, those individuals given a higher dose of alcohol showed a global reduction in memory with decreases in both types of memory," explained James Bisby.
Although the findings suggest that drinking a large amount of alcohol might result in less involuntary re-experiencing of the event due to an overall reduction in memory, the researchers are cautious in drawing this conclusion.
"When people have no memory of the traumatic event, as can happen if they consumed a large amount of alcohol beforehand, they are more likely to imagine a 'worse case scenario.' This alone can prove to be extremely distressing and debilitating for the individual involved. We are currently extending our findings to try and provide a clearer picture of alcohol's ability to affect memory during trauma," explained Professor Valerie Curran, also from the UCL Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, and a co-author of the research.
Provided by University College London (news : web)
Posted At : March 1, 2010 12:13 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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By Alysa Landry The Daily Times
Posted: 03/01/2010 12:00:00 AM MST
FARMINGTON — A duo of behavioral health specialists is soliciting help from area combat veterans in a study of the role of therapy in healing from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Roy Harrington, a Marine diagnosed with the disorder nearly 20 years after serving in the Desert Storm conflict, is spearheading a conversation he hopes leads to specific changes in the way mental health professionals and the military view stress and trauma.
"I didn't know what the heck was wrong with me," Harrington said of the diagnosis. "I was crying all the time. It was affecting my job and my relationships. It just didn't make sense."
Harrington hopes by listening to other veterans' accounts of trauma and the emotional aftermath he will better understand the kind of conversation needed to prevent the disorder and heal those who already have it.
"Therapy for PTSD is all the same," he said, "but the practice, the approach isn't appropriate. You have to be able to go in there and know the other person will understand where you are coming from as a veteran."
Part of the solution may be pairing veterans with other veterans, Harrington said. Another piece could be better training of nonveteran therapists so they can find common ground. The goal is to isolate the trauma as an experience, not as something that defines a person, Harrington said.
"Veterans need to know that they're not the story, but the story is a part of their lives," he said. "The story is truth, and what means the most is the words I use."
Under Harrington's model, therapists would break with tradition and share more personal experience while maintaining professional distance.
"My pain might be apples. Yours might be oranges," Harrington said. "We can reconstruct the stories together and come up with watermelons."
Post-traumatic stress disorder affects as many as 25 percent of returning combat veterans. That number is doubled for veterans of American Indian descent, said Charles Stacey, a marriage and family therapist who works in Shiprock. Stacey is assisting Harrington with the study, which the two plan to be an informal discussion about veterans' challenges with the disorder and what therapies have proven helpful.
The disorder, which is known by as many names as there are battles, is characterized by a complex set of symptoms, including nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance and exaggerated startle responses. The symptoms must persist after the traumatic incident is over and cause significant disruption of normal activity.
Thousands of combat veterans are diagnosed with PTSD every year, but the diagnosis is not new. World War I veterans had shell shock; during World War II the symptoms were part of battle fatigue. The condition also is called war neurosis or combat stress.
Put simply, the disorder is what causes combat veterans and others who have survived intense trauma to constantly re-experience the emotion that accompanied the original event. PTSD is the reason veterans dive for cover during fireworks displays or other unexpected explosions.
"We know what it is and what it looks like," Stacey said. "What we want to know is what you do about it, and, specifically, how can you prevent it?"
A split from traditional therapy allows veterans to work on a more equal plane with their therapists instead of slipping into a submissive role.
"I don't want to determine a label for you, but I want you to tell me the story," Stacey said. "Not because I'm going to fix you, but because I'm genuinely curious. I will naturally begin to look for common points, like I would with any conversation, then I can reflect and ask questions and begin to understand."
Veterans suffering from PTSD often have no problem recreating the traumatic experience, Harrington said. Instead, many are trying to forget it.
The difficulty in healing from PTSD is that traumatic events effectively separate the facts and the emotion in the brain.
"It's easy for me to the tell story," Harrington said. "It's hard to connect the emotion with the story, so then it's hard to come terms with it."
Harrington wants veterans to be able to reconstruct memories in positive a way that helps them connect with others and create a healthier life. He also wants to help educate the military to watch for warning signs catching it before it happens, much like a First Aid course for mental health.
One of the biggest risk factors for developing PTSD while in combat is previous trauma, research has found. For example, soldiers with a history of abuse are more likely to develop the disorder during or after combat situations
Harrington wants veterans to be able to view PTSD and common symptoms such as dissociation, as positive survival techniques.
"You're out there seeing someone get killed, or experiencing overwhelming fear with gunfire and mine fields," he said. "You have to put away the emotions to function. Of course you replay it over and over. You need to look at it and see how you allowed yourself to survive."
The two men are looking for a group of about 10 veterans to participate in the first phase of the study, which will include an informal discussion about trauma, allowing Harrington to take note of the language used and gaps in mental health education before, during or after combat.
"The goal is to create a different kind of support group, a new kind of language so you feel comfortable going to the group," he said.
Posted At : March 1, 2010 10:50 AM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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ISTSS offers its condolences to the victims and families of the recent earthquake in Chile. ISTSS provides several different resources for dealing with natural disasters such as this. Click here for details.
Posted At : February 25, 2010 3:33 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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William Spear Feb. 25, 2010
The Huntington Post
Compassionate response from the global community has brought much attention to the needs of children affected by the earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath. Years of work in other areas hit by natural disasters has led us to develop a simple guide to support those already in the field or planning to visit Haiti soon. It is our intention in this article to provide an overview and helpful guideline for use during the important second phase of this disaster, the Recovery Phase, as the Emergency Phase is now nearing stability.
There is an enormous need to help children in the second Recovery Phase of this disaster before rushing to quickly to rebuild the external world. Governments and agencies too often rush to enter the third or Reconstruction Phase that follows a disaster of this magnitude without understanding the consequences of ignoring the deeply held emotional traumas of the local population. It is our intention to provide support to caregivers who wish to address the specific needs of children during the six-month period following the earthquake so the number of people who actually develop P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can be substantially minimized.
Much more can be said, and certainly much more has been written about trauma and children than is mentioned here. Many resources are available to families and professionals, but few take into consideration the underlying cultural needs of this resilient nation. After much discussion with community leaders, local teachers, parents and caregivers as well as considering the traditions of this unique culture, this guide has been assembled to support Haitians in the months and years ahead.
What is important is that body centered therapies and approaches are every bit as important as any other efforts. It is my sincere hope that this guide will be of value to every child and caregiver now and in future generations.
UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
Trauma is a wound to the energy of the body, either in physical or psychological terms. It is used to define an event that has cause harm or injury to the psyche, as in a "traumatic" event, disaster, disease or accident. Most traumatic events are totally uncontrollable; their results shatter people's personal sense of safety and security. Present in every episode that might be labeled traumatic:
- Extreme fear and helplessness
- A possibility or threat of serious harm or death
Basic human nature makes it possible for most people to recover from a traumatic event with little or no counseling or support. Every individual knows instinctually how to protect his or her life and acts accordingly; moreover, the sensing and feeling nature inside each child has a remarkable capacity to reorient life after tragic events if given loving support.
A very small percentage of children will need more intensive interventions as a result of many factors, i.e. the nature of personal loss, the history of family and social interaction, the degree of personal bodily harm, etc. These special cases, too, can most often be returned to a happy childhood over time. Normal coping mechanisms are available to children as well as to adults. While there is a reasonable concern for each child's well being, most of them will recover from this event and go on to lead happy, productive lives.
HELPING ALL CHILDREN
Five key points to keep in mind when working with children:
- Reaffirm safety, protection and your own concern for the child's overall well being.
- Monitor your own real emotions and feelings as they relate to the event, and take care of yourself so you can take care of others who need you.
- Return to and maintain a steady routine of activities upon which a child can come to depend.
- Watch for small problems that might develop which an early intervention (a gentle, caring chat or hug) can resolve; validate children's emotions rather than shutting them down.
- Allow more time that usual for simple activities, keeping in mind a slowed pace is easier to facilitate recovery.
RESILIENCE
Hope and meaning are the two essential components of resilience, the quality needed to recover a sense of purpose in our lives and move forward. No one can speak the absolute truth and give meaning to these events, but surely all of us share a sincere and genuine hope for the future of this nation and its most precious asset, the children. Add to that a profound faith, abundant humor, remarkable sensitivity, perseverance in the presence of hardship, amazing adaptability and enormous caring and support from others, Haiti will undoubtedly recover its exquisite beauty and charm, and its people and children will return to a new life in this special island nation.
AGE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES
Infants and toddlers (up to 5 years old) may react with crying and clinging behavior, aware of the distress in their caregivers. Episodes of bedwetting, rocking, regressive thumb sucking, or new fears are normal.
- Continual reassurances, physical contact and nurturing love are usually all that is needed for children of this age group in order to overcome the symptoms of trauma.
Middle childhood (up to 12 years old) often act out more symptoms, exhibiting aggressive behaviors or anger, avoidances and some challenge in returning to everyday routines such as school.
- Slowing down the processes and taking more frequent fun breaks than would otherwise be scheduled helps children of this age to work through their stresses. Physical movement, like playing sports, martial arts or simple running games, are excellent releases of stagnant energies.
Adolescent's responses vary greatly and can more quickly accelerate into serious avoidant behaviors like substance abuse. Some extreme risk taking can also be observed as children of this age group may harbor deep feelings of abandonment and thus carry a distorted value of life.
- Soliciting help from these children to create their futures is a perfect response to this groups needs. Building projects that directly contribute to their future, creating new curtains, painting, carpentry skills and other things, which allow them to be an accepted part of the adult community, dramatically reduces symptoms.
EXTREME CASES
The most common diagnosis of those who suffer ongoing problems of trauma is known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or P.T.S.D. This diagnosis is often misapplied to those experiencing normal coping symptoms and as a result exaggerated expectations will frequently exceed actual psychosocial need. In effect, P.T.S.D. will not usually occur unless during the period of 90-120 days following the event nothing is done to help victims release repressed emotions.
In the fourth month, three symptoms may appear leading to a diagnosis of P.T.S.D.:
- Reliving the experience of the event through haunting pictures, memories, flashbacks, nightmares or a sense that the event is not over; reliving the stress caused by the event when placed near settings where the event took place, i.e. near a school that collapsed or close to the epicenter of the quake.
- Avoiding behaviors in an attempt not to be reminded or exposed to the associated stress. These include disinterest in things that are normally fun, introversion or shyness beyond normal cultural mannerism, no interest in planning the future, feelings of abandonment or isolation.
- Physical hyper-arousal leading to loss of sleep, outbursts, startling, hyper-vigilance or "jumpy" over alertness.
Often, these three symptoms are also accompanied by:
- obsessive behaviors that recreate the context of the trauma,
- dissociation and feelings of "disconnect" from others
- a burden of guilt for surviving the event itself.
The second group of three symptoms may or may not be present in a diagnosed P.T.S.D. whereas the former three are thought to be necessary to confirm a diagnosis.
HELPING CHILDREN DEAL WITH LOSS
Certain very simple skills are needed to help children deal with loss:
- Patience. Don't rush expressions of mourning or grief. Children may vacillate between outbursts of crying and ecstatic laughter. This is a normal coping mechanism and caregivers need to follow the lead of the child.
- Listen. Let children know you care by engaging them in simple conversations, and then be prepared to truly listen. Sharing your own feelings briefly might "open up a dialogue with a child.
- Remember. Support children in recalling their deceased parents or siblings. Talk about what they loved, what they miss, and what they might not miss!! It is unnecessary to react in any other way than your presence.
- Remove all blame. Some children take responsibility for the death of a parent or sibling, thinking they could have acted in a different way to warn or protect, or done something more to help. This guilt requires your sensitivity. Do everything you can to reassure the child that he or she did the best they could.
- Include. Many children can benefit from hearing other children express their feelings. Work in small groups of 3, 4 or 5 children that create safe spaces to open up. Sometimes, the silent child will gain a great deal through this mechanism.
- Play. Remember, we are helping children, and children love to play games. Too much talking does little to help them deal with loss. Dance, play games, draw, sing - anything to express feelings or process energy in the body helps in a nonverbal way as well as any talking.
A REALITY CHECK
For all children, it is important to keep in mind that their world is now completely different than before. Their sense of personal safety, both physical and emotional, has been forever altered.
- Each caregiver must convey a new growing safety in his or her mannerisms, behaviors, language and unconditional presence.
Children are also dealing with feelings of abandonment. Having lost one or both parents, many friends and siblings together with their neighborhoods, possessions and communities having been swept away causes enormous stress.
- Keep your word and rebuild trust. If you say, "I'll be back tomorrow," you must come back. If you say, "I'll call you next week," call. Children need to reconstruct their world through trusting caregivers' actions. Make no promises you cannot keep.
Religious beliefs have been forever challenged. Whether discussions of the laws of karma or the will of God are offered as an explanation, children have great difficulty placing their experiences into a reliable context.
Help children to regain meaning in life by talking openly about what has happened - not "why" it happened. Trust that they can develop their own sense of why at an appropriate time later in their lives. Give them hope, and talk about the future.
SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
It is easy for caregivers to forget their own needs, but essential for them to take care of themselves. The degree to which you can truly be of value helping children is directly proportional to your own mental health.
- Take time out when necessary. Don't push. Relax, and trust the process of life to slow repair the damage of trauma.
- Talk with your own family and friends to process your own feelings. You are having a real experience yourself; don't disconnect from your emotions.
- Find safe spaces to release and process your emotions.
- Eat well and try to maintain your health.
- Exercise and keep moving; don't be too sedentary.
- Do something to relax and "escape"; read a book, listen to music, meditate, etc. to recompose your energy.
- Let go of judgments and resentments. Ultimately, everyone is doing the best they can. Appreciate each individual and his or her own offer of support.
- Trust the process. Life goes on - every day can improve.
- Breathe. Breathe again. Keep mindful of your breath.
Next week, we will post a set of five carefully designed, very specific play exercises that anyone can use in Haiti. If you know someone in Haiti or are in touch with groups who plan to go there, please share these resources. All methodologies that support children to release trauma held in their body can be among the most valuable of all. For more information on these and other approaches, please see the journal of our past experiences in Samoa, Java and Sri Lanka on the Fortunate Blessings Foundation website, at www.fortunateblessings.org.
Posted At : February 22, 2010 5:51 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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ISTSS is seeking a dynamic, creative ISTSS member to serve a 3-year term as Web site editor, (with the possibility of reappointment). The ISTSS Board has approved a plan to re-design the Web site (this process is now underway) and to reconfigure the Web editor position, in order to support a more dynamic and engaging Web presence for the Society. These changes will allow us to accomplish key parts of our mission and strategic plan, to provide valuable resources and connections to our members, and to create additional sources of revenue for the Society. The Web editor will work with the ISTSS board and headquarters to generate and update relevant content and features, and to ensure that the Website is effectively reaching members and potential members.
Description:
The Web site editor will: (a) Develop ideas for content and features that will improve the reach and usefulness of the ISTSS Web site, (b) Appoint and work closely with two associate Web editors (each with a yearly $1000 stipend), (c) Work with the board, headquarters staff and members to keep Website policies up to date, and (d) Conduct on-going evaluation of how effectively the ISTSS Website is achieving its goals of supporting the mission of ISTSS.
Time Commitment: It is expected that the Web editor will devote 5-10 hours a week to the Web site. An annual stipend of $5000 will be provided.
Job Requirements:
- Familiarity with ISTSS mission, membership, organizational structure (active ISTSS member for at least two years)
- Ability to implement an overall vision for the ISTSS Web site as set by the Board, and to bring new ideas to Board and HQ staff for improving and enhancing the site
- Willingness to monitor world news about trauma and relevant updates in the field in order to use the Web as a response vehicle
- Ability to commit sufficient time (5-10 hours per week)
- Experience and/or willingness to learn Web site content management software
- Familiarity with Web technology
To Apply:
Please submit a letter of interest, vita, and two letters of recommendation to Deanna Marchetti, dmarchetti@istss.org, ISTSS by March 15, 2010.
Posted At : February 22, 2010 3:02 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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ISTSS offers its condolences to the victims and families of the Alabama shooting tragedy.
Read the full story.
Click here for a list of ISTSS Resources on dealing with related tragedies.
Posted At : February 17, 2010 10:35 PM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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- UB Reporter
By CHARLOTTE HSU Published: February 18, 2010
In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association added post-traumatic stress disorder to the third edition of its “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” validating Vietnam veterans’ contentions that problems they suffered upon returning home—nightmares, jumpiness and trouble sleeping were among the most common—stemmed from combat experiences overseas. Before PTSD won formal recognition, soldiers with symptoms often were disparaged as cowards.
Our understanding of trauma has grown dramatically since 1980. We know soldiers are not the only ones who suffer from PTSD. Victims of rape, child abuse and other distressing occurrences can develop the disorder. Research shows that the great majority of public mental health clients have been exposed to trauma. Residents of communities with high rates of street violence, alcoholism and substance abuse are especially at risk. Stressors they encounter daily can make it difficult to recover from a horrifying event or series of events.
Nevertheless, three decades after the American Psychiatric Association recognized PTSD as a disorder, relatively few social workers fully embrace the importance of assessing for and treating trauma in their clients. Social workers routinely may deal with clients’ depression, addictions or major medical problems without discovering a co-morbid history of physical, sexual, psychological or institutional abuses. Worse, when clients disclose such histories, they may find themselves retelling upsetting stories to many caseworkers or clinicians in the course of seeking treatment in different service settings, leading, potentially, to re-traumatization.
To address gaps in practice that result in these problems, the School of Social Work has revised its MSW curriculum to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to evaluate the central role trauma can play in the lives of individuals and populations. The new program will equip future practitioners with the understanding they need to formulate trauma-informed interventions across systems.
Courses and programs in the revised curriculum also stress the importance of human rights, introducing students to models of care tailored to the needs of a client population that includes large numbers of victims of human rights violations.
As the school marks its 75th year, these changes place it in the vanguard of social work education, blazing a path that professionals and other institutions can follow in a world where it’s increasingly clear that a trauma-informed and human rights perspective is crucial in delivering effective and compassionate human services.
“Students still will be focusing on various populations and settings that are of interest to them, but they will bring this lens and understanding to their social work,” says Dean Nancy Smyth. “It’s a paradigm shift. It just adds a layer of understanding that wasn’t there before, and it does have significant implications for policy and program development within human services and education.
“When we’ve shared this with people nationally and internationally as we’ve started to make these changes, we’ve received very positive feedback,” Smyth adds. “My guess is 20 years from now, many of these concepts will have become mainstream, but they’re not right now. There is a large volume of research that has now emerged to indicate that the populations that are served in almost all social work settings have very high rates of trauma exposure. And yet, that’s often missed as a significant concern, both clinically and in terms of the design of programs and policies.”
A trauma-informed and human rights perspective has been incorporated into diverse facets of the MSW program. Incoming students read “A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier,” a book detailing the life of a young man who struggles to regain his humanity after committing and falling victim to atrocities as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. Advanced studies in the program’s second year begin with a new course featuring lectures by different professors explaining the relevance of trauma and human rights to topics ranging from violence and immigration to old age and women’s sexuality. Faculty members have integrated core concepts of trauma and human rights into other classes, too. Field education partnerships with social work agencies that practice trauma-informed care allow students to experience first-hand why trauma and human rights matter.
Three decades after PTSD gained legitimacy, the prevalence of trauma exposure among human services clients is clear, Smyth says. The next advancement in social work will be re-shaping treatment programs, counseling and other services to be sensitive to consumers who, in one way or another, have seen their human rights violated.
Posted At : February 15, 2010 10:41 AM | Posted By : Deanna Marchetti
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Tom Carey The Klaxon 02.14.2010
Trying to grasp everything that is going on around oneself during a traumatic event can take its toll on the soul. Military and civilian first responders responsible for managing chaos on a daily basis can push their team to the limit.
The multitasking you must perform as you make timely decisions, while providing some direction to others, is continuous. Providing for the well-being and care of your subordinates doesn’t stop after an event—it begins.
How many have received the check the box treatment? Responders go to class, read the slides, watch a video and sign here. Sound familiar? Are they OK now? Maybe some responders are, but not everyone deals with the effects a catastrophic event, war or a life-threatening situation the same way. Recovery can be a longer process for some to achieve than others. Not all practitioners require the same amount of care. Given enough trauma, any individual could develop what is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Senior managers owe proper care to their subordinates (as well as themselves) in promoting both awareness and obtaining quality and continuous treatment for this affliction.
Whether it’s an ER nurse at the Combat Surgical Hospital (CSH) in downtown Baghdad or at Bellevue Hospital in New York, the demand of one’s expertise is needed at that very second to perform to the best of their ability to save a life. The soldier in the combat zone often states, “That mortar round was kind of close,” but they keep on coming. As the smoke thickens with the threat of being burned by the unbearable heat, the firemen continue to evacuate victims. The police officer, while trying to apprehend a suspect, is wrestled to the edge of an oncoming subway train and manages to make the arrest.
When should one decompress these types of events? For most, it’s either a shrug off the shoulder or run to the local bar. The best piece of advice is to talk about events with a trustful person. Some of them can be co-workers who are experiencing the same situations or others that have gone through similar actions. Sometimes an event can be too much for one’s body and mind to process and comprehend. Then, for some, it takes a lot of time to let out that experienced situation. The worst thing one can do is keep it to themselves.
What is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can develop following a traumatic event that threatens safety or makes one feel helpless.
Dr. Frank Ochberg, a psychiatrist who has worked with and studied victims of war, terrorism, domestic violence, rape, incest and natural disaster in many countries, recognizes PTSD as three reactions that happen simultaneously. These reactions, known as the ‘Triad of Disabling Responses,” is all caused by an event that terrifies, horrifies or renders one helpless. The Triad of Disabling Responses is:
1. Recurring intrusive recollections.
2. Emotional numbing and constriction of life activity.
3. A physiological shift in the fear threshold affecting sleep,concentration and sense of security.
Why Should I Get Help?
Symptoms of PTSD may worsen over time. Finding the right treatment can only start by addressing that someone may need help. PTSD symptoms even can cause difficulty in family relationships, and responders might find themselves pulling away from loved ones. PTSD also can worsen physical health, such as heart problems. More here.
In an effort to help individuals exposed to traumatic events, The Klaxon spoke with Dr. Gerald Cohen, director of clinical affairs for the Division of Mental Hygiene at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in offering tips for individuals involved in experiencing psychological problems following a disaster or responding to emergency situations. More here.
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