Trauma encompasses such events as child abuse and neglect, sexual assault, violence, incarceration, natural disaster, sex trafficking, traumatic grief, and bullying—and can occur at any age. Even after the immediate threat has passed, the trauma can continue to influence a person’s life in negative ways.
For adolescents, trauma can interfere with typical biological, psychological, and social development occurring at this stage. Imagine the case of a teen who has been assaulted. That person may become withdrawn and avoid social interaction as a direct result of the trauma experienced, thus impacting their social development.
In this Discussion, you assess how trauma has influenced an adolescent and how you might assist as a social worker.
Post an assessment of the trauma the adolescent has experienced and how that may impact their development. Bearing in mind that environmental concerns have been addressed, utilize your advanced-level skills to identify a modality that is appropriate for the developmental stage. Finally, describe some assumptions and pitfalls of the modality as it relates to the population.
Brandell, J. R. (Ed.). (2020). Theory & practice in clinical social work (3rd ed.). Cognella.
Chapter 7, “Clinical Social Work With Adolescents and Young Adults” (pp. 123–146)
Levenson, J. (2020). Translating trauma-informed principles into social work practiceLinks to an external site.. Social Work, 65 (3), 288–298. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swaa020
Lougheed, J. P. (2020). Parent–adolescent dyads as temporal interpersonal emotion systemsLinks to an external site.. Journal of Research on Adolescence , 30 (1), 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12526
American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Online assessment measures Links to an external site.. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-resources/assessment-measures