Faith-Based Trauma Intervention in Children. Introductions. What is Faith-Based Trauma Intervention?

Transcription

1 Faith-Based Trauma Intervention in Children Introductions What is Faith-Based Trauma Intervention? 1

2 Activity 1 What is faith based trauma intervention? Since 2004 have worked with the SITCAP model for Trauma Intervention very effective Used for faith-based and non-faith based children Quickly noticed a difference in how the children of faith processed their traumatic event The very root of who these children are and the base of what they believe about God emerges when a traumatizing event unfolds in their lives The spiritual perspective of how these children view their world and God s function in it, plays a vital role in how they process any given event 2

3 What is Trauma? Trauma is not in the event BUT in the experience of the event It is not the understanding of trauma that heals but addressing the experience of trauma. (David Grill) If the child s perception of who God is and the role He plays in life is distorted, their experience of the traumatic event becomes much more complex A distorted perception of God and His role in the traumatic event can become a traumatic experience in itself Question What happens to the child who has seen 3

4 Self-Concept Four Dimensions of Self Physical Spiritual Mental Emotional Activity 2 4

5 Formation of Self-Concept Attachment Styles Identity Script Self-fulfilling Prophecy Direct Definition Social Comparisons Reflected Appraisal God-Concept Where does a child acquire his/her God-concept? Parents Place of worship Others 5

6 What is a God-Concept? No one relates to God as He really is, but as you picture him in your mind. It is a combination of mental images, feelings and thoughts which give your understanding of God. Your God-concept is the lens through which you see God, and the lens through which you believe God sees you. (Dr. Richard D. Dobbins) When is a child s Godconcept formed? All of a child s impressions, thoughts, and feelings of a religious nature interact with his views of his parents, to form his God-concept. This first occurs between the fifth and seventh year of age. (Dr. Richard D. Dobbins) Why is the child s Godconcept so important to know about? The child s God-concept determines the child s basic emotional attitude toward God. Healthy? Unhealthy? Love? Fear? Anger? Terror? God-concept has a powerful effect on his/her responses to life. (Dr. Richard D. Dobbins) 6

7 Questions to seek answers to What are the mental images this child has of God? What are the feelings this child has toward God? What are the feelings this child believes God has toward him/her? What are the thoughts this child has of God? What are the thoughts this child believes God has toward him/her? Is this child s basic emotional attitude toward God healthy or unhealthy? Does this child see God as a loving God? Or Does this child see God as a comforting God? Does this child see God as a God to be feared? Does this child see God as an angry and revengeful God? Does this child see God as a punishing God? Has God been used as a manipulative tool toward appropriate behaviour in this child s life? What has this child s experience of church and church people been? 7

8 Psycho-Physiology of Trauma Understanding the physiology of trauma, is understanding the normal life-preserving survival responses of fight/flight/freeze. (David Grill, 1998) Memory, Trauma and Healing Trauma is fundamentally a highly activated incomplete psychophysiological response to threat, frozen in time. What is significant in the resolution of trauma is the completion of uncompleted responses to threat and the ensuing discharge of the energy that was mobilized for survival. (Peter Levine, 1996) Children of faith have much to process when a traumatic event happens. Since much of their identity and life is said to be in God they must process from a human and spiritual perspective. 8

9 1. Why does this child think this event happened? 2. How has this event been viewed by the child from a spiritual perspective? 3. What role does this child see God playing in this traumatic event? 9

10 Story about 9 year old Joe Smith and why he believed his brother was killed in an accident. His distortions about God s role and how it effected him. Story about Jane Doe a 55 year old woman with unresolved childhood trauma. Driven by her distorted beliefs about God s role in the events. Your own story! God and your childhood traumatic event 10

11 Faith Based Untruths God has favorites Bad things happening to you is a sign that God does not love you Things happen because you do not have enough faith Bad things happen as a punishment for sin Being better at prayer prevents bad things from happening The devil has you in his grip What is the difference between trauma and grief when you add the God-concept? Grief Generalized reaction SADNESS Grief reactions can stand alone Trauma Generalized reaction TERROR Trauma reactions generally also include grief reactions What is the difference between trauma and grief when you add the God-concept? Grief Grief reactions are generally known to the public and the professional Trauma Trauma reactions, especially in children, are largely unknown to the public and often to professional counsellors as well 11

12 What is the difference between Trauma and Grief when adding God-concept? Grief generally does not attack or disfigure our identity In grief, guilt says I wish I would/ would not have. Trauma reactions generally attacks, distorts and disfigures our identity Trauma guilt says, It was my fault. I could have prevented it. It should have been me. What is the difference between Trauma and Grief when adding God-concept? In grief dreams tend to be of the person who died In grief, pain is related to the loss In trauma, dreams are about the child, himself, dying or being hurt In trauma, pain is related to the tremendous terror and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and fear for safety What is the difference between Trauma and Grief when adding God-concept? In grief a child s anger is generally not destructive In trauma, a child s anger often becomes assaultive (even after nonviolent trauma, fighting often increases) 12

13 What concerns about God s role could a child have in these situations? Divorce Adoption Separation from a parent (even abusive parents, substance abuse ) Terminal illness or death of a family member or peer Death of a family member by fire, car accident, drowning, plane Murder of a sibling, parent, or friend Discovering a body Being hurt What concerns about God s role could a child have in these situations? Witnessing a killing of a sibling, parent friend Witnessing a rape, physical abuse of a family member or friend Witnessing a suicide Vicarious victimization Environmental disaster Secondary Wounding 13

14 Secondary Wounding If anyone, including doctors, nurses, police, social workers, clergy, or others, have said any of the following to the child, he or she has been further victimized*. *This may be hard to believe because these comments have likely come from people you thought would help. Secondary Wounding What about faith-focused secondary wounding? What would it sound like? Secondary Wounding Well maybe if you hadn t... Well maybe if you had... If only you... You should have never... That wasn t very smart of you. How many times have you been told... It wouldn t have happened if you... You must have wanted it to have happened. You must have been looking for trouble. You need to be more careful. 14

15 Apply what we have learned about Godconcept to what we know about children and grief and trauma. How does the following principles change and become more complex? Secondary Wounding Secondary wounding can be as difficult to recover from as physical wounds. With secondary wounding there is a greater likelihood that the child will also experience a high level of guilt and self-blame. This keeps the child in a victim mentality and makes it harder to become a survivor. What kind of phrases could someone say from a faith-based perspective that could cause confusion or possible wounding? 15

16 Confusion Generating Words and Phrases Sick - Not going to get better? (I get sick God???) Gone, lost, asleep (Sleep = possible dying) So special going to be with God God chose to take her She is an angel now Going home to the Lord It will be your turn later (dying? gifts?) God s timing You need to be strong I m sorry (did s/he do something wrong?) How do the following trauma reactions get addressed inappropriately at times by those in the faithbased community? Trauma Reactions What inappropriate ways can individuals of faith respond inappropriately to trauma reactions? 16

17 All children with posttraumatic stress do not have any control over traumatic reactions they cannot gain control and find relief without help So how do we help children of trauma in faithbased communities? Educate parents and those who work with the children in their faith-based programs 17

18 What to tell parents Have a handout for parents to explain: - about trauma - about normal trauma reactions/behaviour - about God-concept and distorted God-concept and trauma - about what the child needs from them What to tell volunteer workers for programs Have a handout for faith-based workers similar to the one for parents Provide workshops for faith-based volunteer workers Intervention is Needed! The longer trauma victims go without trauma specific help the more chronic and severe those reactions can become Trauma reactions cannot be prevented, but their negative impact on the child s learning, behaviour, personality and emotional development can be minimized when help is provided as soon as possible 18

19 Keep in mind Trauma reactions are no different following non-violent situations than violent situations The same situation can happen to different children and may not necessarily cause the same reaction in them Resiliency makes a difference (even for children of faith) Trauma is what we experience, not what we know, understand or comprehend. (William Steele, 2001) Their perception is their reality!! 19

20 How Do We Intervene? TLC Structured Sensory Intervention for Traumatized Children, Adolescents and Parents (Strategies to Alleviate Trauma) The following is from William Steele and David Grill s work Trauma training at TLC as well as integrating faith-based worksheets and faith-based activities 20

21 First Things First Child/Teen/ Parent Questionnaires Trauma Specific Workbook and Faith-Based supplement. Through drawing, trauma specific questions, activities, lots of listening, reframing children begin to rework and then integrate all parts of the experience and it begins to make a semblance of sense to them they are given strategies and tools for empowerment Sensory Intervention To access trauma you have to go into the sensory system It is about paying attention to the child s sensory experience Sensations tell their own story The helper is simply a witness to their story Sensory Intervention Literally you are with the child in their experience By the use of drawing and trauma specific questions you give a structured framework for the child to tell their story. with as much sensory detail possible the child can tell the whole story 21

22 Reworking the Trauma This also means grasping an understanding of the child s Godconcept and how the child views God s role in the whole event There are worksheets and activities to address God-concept with many of the sessions Reworking the Trauma Children are deeply driven by the feelings associated with the trauma to re-enact, recreate them Reworking must be gradual and sequential mastering their feelings of fear, anger and pain with guidance Reworking may mean role playing out God s part in the trauma especially if there are distortions in beliefs Reworking the Trauma Re-enacting keeps them a victim You want to move them from victim thinking to survivor thinking Body awareness, sensory awareness and therapist observation is important Extreme arousal is a sign client is in a highly traumatized state 22

23 Reworking the Trauma Imagine God being there with you in the event Picture him in your mind What do you think he is doing? What do you think he wants to say to you? Arousal and Titration Don t allow the body/ability to cope to become overwhelmed Empower rather than overwhelm Process painful material that stimulates but does not overwhelm Titration (like tightening and loosening lid on a pop bottle) Modulation Major focus is to modulate (change) arousal levels and to gradually discharge the energy that is frozen within eventually alleviating associated symptoms 23

24 Pendulation Pendulation going into the trauma and then swinging into a pleasurable experience You are wanting client to go from trauma vortex into healing vortex Need movement Trauma Vortex to The Healing Vortex Each time you move from one vortex to the other you create a new feeling (What is happening. where in your body do you feel.) You are building on and strengthening their own strengths (resources) within Trauma Vortex to the Healing Vortex You may have to look for strengths (How did you make it through...? Is there other times that you went through? How did you handle it? What was God s role in it?) He/she may vacillate into a good memory. Get him/her to talk about it. Explore God s role in it? 24

25 Trauma Vortex concerning Identity Vortex between false identity into truth Identity as known in faith, opposed to identity coming from what has happened to you or what you have done The bottom line is. Never assume to know the child s experience Your job is to find out what the child s experience was/is like to him/ her. Question is What is this child s experience? NOT What is the problem here to be solved? Work at the child s speed. Do not rush the child, or the child s experience with you will become an unsafe one. Our goal is to move the child from victim to survivor and thriver!!! 25

26 Information in this presentation: The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) William Steele MSW, Psy.D David Grill MFT C.T.S. Dr. Richard D. Dobbins Many other presenters over the years Adaptations of various activities in our own practices 26