Trauma: Prevalence, Impact, and Coping

Catalog description

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the prevalence and impact of trauma on both our clients (individuals, families and communities) and on the helping professionals who are serving those coping with trauma. The coursework presented will enhance the skills and knowledge base of all students of health and mental health professions and will be particularly useful to students interested in working directly with survivors of trauma. The impact of trauma is surrounded by a complex set of issues and topics that will be addressed such as survivors of domestic violence, veterans, individuals struggling with addictions, individuals with life-threatening illness/injury, survivors of abuse and neglect, and other vulnerable populations. There will be a particular emphasis on strengths, resiliency, coping, multicultural issues, and systems factors. This course also introduces beginning skills of helping individuals, families and groups within a trauma-informed framework. Grounded in the values and ethics of the profession, students learn the application and evaluation of direct practice skills used in the initial phase of helping. Finally, students will evaluate the secondary stresses connected with a helping profession.