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Children in the war zones & trauma
When I think of trauma, I think of an isolated incident (or discrete period of time) that impacts a person. However, for some people, it is their environment and childhood. For children growing up in war zones, every day is filled with traumatic events, and they witness things that most people do not have to witness in their lifetime. The fact that they go through these experiences at such a young age is very difficult for me to wrap my mind around, and thus, in my post, I will explore more specifically children in Syria that have trauma and a couple of programs that are in place to try to help them.
Natasha Ghoneim writes about a 10-year-old girl from Syria named Noor (Ghoneim, 2017). Noor witnessed her father be murdered by ISIS. After this, she and her mother and sisters fled to Turkey for safety. She had lived her life surrounded by death and war, and needless to say, everything has had an enormous impact on her. Ghoneim writes, “We were warned not to ask Noor about the family’s horrific encounter with ISIL, as recalling the memory for anyone, let alone a child, is traumatic.” Noor struggles with PTSD and has nightmares and depression. At the time this article was written, Noor was at the Al Sham Association in Gaziantep, Turkey. This association gives fatherless children and their mothers safety and shelter, as well as education and recreational programs. However, due to lack of funding, they cannot afford long-term psychologists to help the children, so most of the the help comes from un-professionally trained staff that work at the organization. This is clearly not enough for the children, as the staff estimate that 40% of the children there need long-term, professional mental-health care.
As there is a shortage of funding and mental health resources available to children like Noor- what kinds of other programs are in place to help? In Lebanon, art therapy has become a popular way to help children cope with their trauma (Stoughton, 2017). A certified art therapist, Dania Fawaz, who works in Lebanon explains the benefits of art therapy, saying, "A lot of children, especially the younger ones, haven't developed the verbal skills they need to describe such horrific events, especially if you're speaking about war. Art is a less directive and more natural tool for children to express themselves." (Stoughton, 2017). Through their art, children can work through their emotions and past in whatever way is helpful for them and at their own pace, whether it be through anger and frustration, sadness, confusion, or whatever emotions and feelings they have in a safe environment. Mona Shibaru is a volunteer for a similar organization called “The Red Pencil” who describes the work and goals they do, "We try to build some kind of resiliency that will stay with them even after the group finishes … We focus a lot on the power of imagination, because imagination and memories are things that no one can take away from you. No matter what happens, no matter where you move, you can still dream and imagine and envision." (Stoughton, 2017).
Another program in place is “Project Lift”. Project Lift holds a workshop for 5 days a month for Syrian children that combines performance and visual art therapy (Ergil, 2016). Through art, music, and dance, the program focuses on rehabilitation and resilience both for the present and future. The chief advisor of the program, as well as art therapist, Leyla Akça, describes their approach as helping the children build a “toolbox, which they can take with them and reuse these skills when they face hardships in their lives” (Ergil, 2016).
References
Ergil, L. Y. (2016, January 04). Project Lift: Trauma therapy for Syrian children. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.dailysabah.com/life/2016/01/05/project-lift-trauma-therapy-for-syrian-children
Ghoneim, N. (2017, March 08). Searching for a light: Syrian children struggle with trauma. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/middleeast/2017/03/searching-light-syrian-children-struggle-trauma-170308102939423.html
Stoughton, I. (2017, March 04). Syrian refugee children process trauma through art. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/01/syrian-refugee-children-process-trauma-art-170114100012150.html
ADHD: The Misdiagnosis Hiding a Larger Problem in Children
By: Amy Milner
ADHD is one of the most common diagnoses in children. Recently there has been a significant uptick in the number of children diagnosed per year. While some attribute this to hasty diagnosis, or issues in parenting, there may be a more significant problem at hand: trauma.
The ADHD diagnosis requires symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity. These symptoms, crucial for an ADHD diagnosis, could be misinterpreted. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and responses to trauma often include hypervigilance, jumpiness and dissociation. When placed in a school setting, it is easy to mistake dissociation and hyperarousal as inattention and hyperactivity. Children, often referred to psychologists by educational professionals, could easily be misdiagnosed with ADHD despite actually having underlying trauma.
The stimulants often provided for ADHD could worsen the PTSD symptoms. Stimulants, which help to focus an inattentive brain may create more hypervigilance, jumpiness and dissociation in a child with underlying PTSD. This would cause children to perform worse in school and the home setting, possibly leading to more abuse. This cycle exemplifies the importance of a proper diagnosis.
Dr. Nicole Brown at Duke university studied the connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) and ADHD diagnoses. She studied over 65,00 children between the ages of 6 and 17 years of age. Their parents were questioned about ADHD diagnosis, severity and medication. They were also questioned about potential ACE’s that their child faced. Sixteen percent of the children diagnosed with ADHD had faced at least four ACE’s as opposed to the six percent diagnosis in children who faced no ACE’s.
ACE’s can include things such as poverty, death of a parent or guardian, divorce, domestic violence, violence in the community, substance abuse, incarceration, discrimination or familial mental illness. Depending on severity and personal response, most, if not all, ACE’s could qualify as trauma. Therefore, it is safe to say that many of the children experiencing ADHD, could potentially be suffering from PTSD from the trauma they are facing at home.
The study by Dr. Brown and her team at Duke University illustrate an important consideration in diagnosis. When there is potential for a child to be considered for ADHD, greater care should be taken. Psychologists and doctors should investigate their home life looking carefully for potential trauma. This will help identify children who are victims of abuse or allow for additional support for those in poverty or with unstable home lives.
New research showing the potential for misdiagnosis of ADHD will help psychologists, particularly in a school setting, intervene sooner in cases of children with difficult home lives. Often children facing multiple ACE’s and trauma can be overlooked and find themselves on pathways to develop mental illness and criminal behavior. By recognizing potential ADHD symptomology as part of possible trauma, we make it easier to spot dangerous behaviors before they spiral.
Hopefully, by calling attention to a highly diagnosed psychological issue, we can help to properly diagnose young children who may be dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder rather than ADHD.
Szalavitz, M. (2007). Trauma in Disguise. Scientific American Mind, 18(4), 12-12. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/stable/24939673
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2014, May 6). Study finds ADHD and trauma often go hand in hand. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 6, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140506074719.htm
How ordinary people become Monsters or Heroes
“…we know how easy it is for good people to become evil, but the question is: can ordinary people be inspired and trained to be everyday heroes? The answer is yes!” (TEDXROMA,2017)
Forensic psychology and criminology include a wide array of different topics regarding criminal behavior. From juvenile delinquency, substance abuse and criminality, intimate partner and family violence, mentally ill incarceration, special courts and jail diversions programs, to psychopathy, sexual assault and harassment, multiple or mass murders and modern terrorism. What do they all have in common? They all are committed by a single or multiple perpetrators. And why these people commit such cruel and terrible crimes? Experts study the underlying causes of these unlawful acts by trying to understand the biological-genetics factors, along with developmental and social factors that interact together in triggering criminal behavior. When considered in proportion, a history of trauma seems be an important predictor of such delinquent conducts. Often, we discover that the most ferocious serial killer was severely abused during childhood or that the social system completely failed to support him/her. Hence, this starts a sort of “self-fulfilling prophecy”, a vicious cycle in which the victim become the perpetrator. This reminds me of the Aileen Wuornos’ case. That was a perfect example of both infancy trauma and social failure. In fact, research highlighted the fact that delinquent’s women are more likely to have been abused in the past (Convington & Bloom, 2008). Of course, this is not always the case. There are some criminals that do not seem to have any traumatic experience, but rather a physiological and neurobiological predisposition. Let’s think for example about the criminal psychopath, with unemotional callous traits, lack of empathy, manipulative and violent inclinations (Hare, 2000). However, is there something more than trauma and biology that play a role? Is maybe human nature? Are we all both good and bad at the same time? Can we all become perpetrators in the right circumstances? How far our moral engagement and altruism go when we feel in danger or threatened?
As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn says, "The line between good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being” (in TEDXTALKS, 2008). From a psychology non-conformist perspective, human nature is egoistic and antisocial, hence we needed to create social rules to avoid to prevaricate on one another (Hirschi, 1969). On the contrary, for social learning theorists, humans are basically “social creature”, whose nature is neither bad or good (Bandura, 1973). Hence criminal behavior, may initially be acquired by observation and association, but maintained only if reinforced (by internal or external stimuli) (Bandura, 1973). Within this framework, others argued that the key to understand human aggression and violence is in the power within the “system” (Haney, Banks &, Zimbardo, 1973). According to Zimbardo, the system creates the situation that corrupts the individuals, and the system is the legal, political, economic, cultural background (Zimbardo, 2007). In this context, the Lucifer’s effect involves understanding human character transformations through the interplay of two factors: the situation and the system. In relation to the deinviduatization of aggression theory, Zimbardo also argued: “Many people, perhaps the majority, can be made to do almost anything when put into psychologically compelling situations—regardless of their morals, ethics, values, attitudes, beliefs, or personal convictions” (1973, p. 164).
To conclude, in order to combat the “psychology of evil”, is necessary to promote prosocial behavior and individual responsibility (Zimbardo, 2007). This is when the concept of “Banality of Heroism” come into play (Zimbardo, 2007), namely promoting heroic imagination especially in the educational system. How can we apply this concept? Zimbardo created the Heroic Imagination Project (HIP), with the mission of training ordinary young people around the world in how to become effective change agents (Zimbardo, 2011). He says:
“We want kids to think, "I'm a hero in waiting, waiting for the right situation to come along, and I will act heroically” (TEDXTALKS, 2008).
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMMhgJ_Vpwk
REFERENCES:
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual review of psychology, 52(1), 1-26.
Bloom, B., & Covington, S. (2008). Addressing the mental health needs of women offenders. Women’s mental health issues across the criminal justice system, 160-176.
Franco, Z. E., Blau, K., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2011). Heroism: a conceptual analysis and differentiation between heroic action and altruism. Review of General Psychology, 15(2), 99.
Haney, C., Banks, W. C., & Zimbardo, P. G. (1973). A study of prisoners and guards in a simulated prison. Naval research reviews, 9(1-17).
Hirschi, T. (1969). A control theory of delinquency. Criminology theory: Selected classic readings, 289-305.
TEDXTALKS (2008, February). TED Talks-The psychology of evil. Retrieved from:
https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil
TEDXROMA (2017, May). Creating a new generation of youth super heroes | PHILIP ZIMBARDO. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMMhgJ_Vpwk
Zimbardo, P. G. (2007). Lucifer Effect. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Zimbardo, P. (2011). Why the world needs heroes. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 7(3), 402-407.
How Do School Shooting Affect Society?
Newtown, Columbine, Jonesboro and Olivehurst are just a few of the locations that witnessed the catastrophe of school shootings. According to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s website (2016), the second leading cause of death among children between the age of 5 and 18 is “homicide”. Data shows that 1% to 2% of these cases take place on school properties, or on the way to or from them. Losing even a single life is one too many.
Children, parents, and school staff are all affected by a school shooting. These affects could be behavioral, physical or mental, and the results include, but are not limited to anxiety and fear about safety of self and others; changes in school performance, difficulty with authority; redirection, or criticism; emotional numbing by re-experiencing the trauma through nightmares (NCTSN, 2008). Not only that, but sadly any kid who witness a school shooting has a striking 77% chance of suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a mental disease triggered by a terrifying event (Takeda, 2012). According to Beland and Kim (2015), there has been a significant reduction in the enrollment of students to grade 9, as well as a significant reduction in the standardized test results of two subjects (Math and English).
A school shooting can also affect parents—mostly psychologically—according to Sharf (2013), who stated that surviving children and their parents, who already face a swarm of feelings that include shock, rage, and unhappiness, may develop PTSD. In a study prepared by Turunen (2014) on children that were taken hostage in a Russian school in Beslan back in 2004, and their parents, the results showed that both children and parents had a high level of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). In addition to parents, school staff can also be affected by a school shooting. In a study by Newman et al. (2004) on the school shootings at West Paducah, Kentucky, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, they came to the conclusion that school staff who witnessed a school shooting would suffer from several negative long-term consequences, including, but not limited to, illness, divorce, PTSD, and career change.
Some people think that hiring armed guards is the answer to feeling safe, and others think that arming the school staff themselves is a much better idea. These all are ineffective solutions which are difficult to implement, as such there is no easy solution. One of the most powerful solutions that could be provided by the parents themselves to help keep their children safe during a school shooting, would be to talk to their children about shootings, and to provide some tips on what to do in such event. Examples could be telling them to ask for help by calling the police, instructing them to hide under the table, and locking the door. A child psychologist might also help to relieve any concerns ensuing from the discussion. In addition, schools should perform drills on school shootings, and work side-by-side with the law enforcement authorities to establish easy communication lines. Finally, gun laws should be strengthened, making it more difficult to own a gun legally than it is currently; in my opinion, the main reason for school shootings is the easy access to guns.
Please remember to always stay safe, watch your surroundings, and pay close attention to those you communicate with. The below video is a short video prepared by Sandy Hook Promise Organization to teach us that "Gun Violence is Preventable When You Know The Signs".
References:
Beland, L. P., and Kim, D. (2015). The Effect of High School Shootings on Schools and Student Performance. Retrieved from http://faculty.bus.lsu.edu/papers/pap15_05.pdf
Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). School-Associated Violent Death Study. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/SAVD.html
NCTSN. (2008). Psychological and Behavioral Impact of Trauma: Elementary School Students. Retrieved from https://www.isbe.net/Documents/trauma-elementary.pdf
Newman, K. S., Fox, C., Harding, D. J., Mehta, J., & Roth, W. (2004). Rampage: The social roots of school shootings. NY: Basic Books.
Sharf, S. (2013). Survivors and their parents may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Anxiety.Org. Retrieved from https://www.anxiety.org/#about-us
Takeda, A. (2012). PTSD in Kids: The Lasting Trauma of School Shootings. Everyday Health. Retrieved from https://www.everydayhealth.com/emotional-health/0301/ptsd-in-kids-the-lasting-trauma-of-school-shootings.aspx
Cyntoia Brown and Legal Challenges in Sex-Trafficking Cases
One of the outstanding injustices and human cruelties drawn to our attention this semester was the matter of young girls who are sex-trafficked, in the US as well as internationally. This was especially palpable in a documentary entitled "A Path Appears," a documentary examination by NYT journalist Nick Kristoff of the impacts of poverty on women, including US sex trafficking (Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl Wudunn, 2015, 270 minutes). Trafficked women frequently have experienced extensive amounts of background youth trauma, and sexual, emotional and physical abuse; and traffickers also tend to go after the most vulnerable women and girls, particularly those who are young, depressed, addicted, alone, insecure, homeless, and impoverished. The women's involvement in the sex trade subjects them to further physical, sexual and emotional abuse; makes them more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol; and heavily increases their vulnerability to contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. Moreover, as the law frequently targets those selling sex rather than those buying it, trafficking often quickly involves the women in the CJ system, as offenders, something that further blights their future opportunities for extraction from the trade, work, housing and education.
Recently, the case of a 24-year-old woman, Cyntoia Brown, has drawn national attention to girls who are sex trafficked in the US, and their individual tragedies. Brown's case was brought to national attention by a tweet from Kim Kardshian, following Daniel Birman's 2011 PBS documentary of her case, "Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story" (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/me-facing-life/). Cyntoia, who was pimped by a man named "Cut Throat" in Tennessee when she was 16-years-old, was tried and convicted for first-degree murder in 2006, and sentenced to life after shooting to death a 43-year-old man who had picked her up for sex (she admitted to the shooting). She is eligible for parole after 51 years (at age 68). Kardashian offered to find Cyntoia legal support to fight her appeal, though this is unlikely to be effective: her case is currently at the PCR stage (Post-Conviction Relief), having already been denied on appeal. PCR cases are notoriously difficult to win, and conviction vacations in first-degree murder cases are incredibly rare. Cyntoia was defended by 2 public defenders, one of whom had extensive homicide trial experience. Her background of extensive childhood trauma - including physical and sexual abuse - was argued by her lawyers in her defense. Like many states, Tennessee permits life-sentences for teens who are convicted of first-degree murder, and Cyntoia's case came to the bench prior to the 2012 Miller v. Alabama decision, which prohibits mandatory life sentencing of juveniles in homicide cases, although it could be retrospectively reviewed under those criteria.
One of the tragedies of trafficked women in the justice system is that the law has no provisions for such cases. A review of the PCR documents in the case show that the evidence was clearly present for a conviction (unlike how the media have portrayed it). The victim, Allen, picked Brown up at a hotel for sex, and offered for her to sleep at his home. When they returned to his home, he showed Cyntoia some guns in his possession, and proceeded to try to have intercourse with her. Waiving her Miranda rights during interview, Cyntoia claimed his behavior of reaching beneath the bed made her fearful that he would shoot her, so she shot him with a handgun she had in her purse. However, according to court documents, Allen was found shot in the back of the head, lying face down, his hands interlocked beneath him, without defensive wounds. His truck had been stolen, along with his money, and two of his guns. When the police located his vehicle, this led them to Cyntoia, who was arrested at a hotel with her pimp, "Cut Throat" (https://www.scribd.com/document/365102446/Cyntoia-Brown-court-documents#download). Allen was killed with a gun that did not belong to him, and Cyntoia had admitted to shooting him.
While forensic psychology speaks to why a young, traumatized girl like Cyntoia, who was being trafficked and effectively abused by both her pimp and her clients, might kill a man for her pimp (an inference which could be drawn from the facts of the case), the law has no provisions for a trauma-motivated murder. The definition of first-degree murder depends upon "thinking and doing," and it is not hard to see how a jury could have construed Cyntoia's behavior as "thinking and doing." The women who killed for Manson were convicted on the same basis, irrespective of their background of trauma and abuse and brainwashing by Manson. The law acts on the supposition that a person acts on their own initiative and judgment, and has a an understanding of "reasonable behavior" (unless they are insane, a legal bar rarely effective in front of a jury, even in clear cases of immense mental impairment), and hence is responsible for their own actions. There is no provision for how a person's judgement may be influenced by their past and present trauma, and hence the case of Cyntoia Brown - who is very likely to remain in prison, despite her lawyer's arguing for the influence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the impairment of her judgment - shows the great challenge of recognizing the reality of trauma and circumstance in legal judgements.
Balancing Self-Care and Social Support Roles while Healing Trauma: A Mental Health Perspective for Human Service and Social Workers
Going into any human service profession, particularly the kind that involves exposure to trauma, witnessing and/or assisting socially or physically hurting victims, and experiencing the ongoing strain relative to the job, can create a lack of mental and physical health to support such roles. Considering such, there are, however, specific things that need to be adjusted in the human service professionals’ daily role, such that would involve implementing a vital fusion of self-care tips and techniques from which to develop a healthy mind and body. For example, taking up yoga or using other relaxation techniques that help with blood flow and circulation of muscles help to relieve a lot of tension associated with a stressful job. Those in human service or social support roles such as medical doctors, social workers, teachers, frontline law enforcement officers, emergency aid technicians, and human resources personnel, to name a few, need to have a way to put-off the stress associated with the strain that comes from helping others. While such roles can involve the need for emotional and crisis intervention, as part of dealing with a trauma or crisis, this blog focuses on the "self-care" tips that serve as adding a healthy perspective to a human service worker's job and lifestyle.
The issue for such human service professionals who become exhausted during the mission is that the level of human compassion in their service, coupled with perhaps other stressful domestic issues or personal problems, can cause burnout and exhaustion, when reaching a peak level of performance and exceptional compassion, which are also factors. Therefore, I thoroughly believe in a lifestyle of achieving a 360 degree perspective on health -- particularly with our minds and bodies. These tips prove to help avoid common psychological and physiological stressors that can cause or exacerbate a problematic source of tension, and create stress, such as one’s job or domestic lifestyle. While I advocate practicing measures to achieve health for the soul and spirit, as well, such as attending a church service once a week or meditating on a more spiritual level, this article will only discuss the first two -- mind and body.
Our minds, particularly our brains, are an example of the battery with which we use to start and operate our motor vehicles. Yet, I find that oftentimes our minds work a lot like more like diet regimens than a well-charged battery, in which just like we need to be careful with what sorts of food we consume and digest (e.g. due to levels of toxicity, unbalanced choices of foods, or malnutrition, leading to cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, cancer, and even death), it is essential to safeguard the things we expose our minds to on a daily basis that can lead to the kind of programming in our brains that would cause unnecessary stress and poor habits. An example is too much consumption of leisure activities, which at the surface relieve stress, but for which excessive consumption can strain the mind and body. Riding a bicycle for too long, or watching television or listening to music too much are also noteworthy examples.
Therefore, where it concerns all areas of one’s daily living, it is a source of good balance and a healthy perspective to eat properly, exercise, and get as much sleep as the body requires. Consuming or doing these things in moderation is also important. For a healthy mind, when balancing a busy schedule, it is also important to consume daily sources of therapeutic exercises, natural vitamins, minerals, and healthy supplements to keep your mind focused and sharp. For a healthy mind that needs to stay active and fight through the day, regardless of what stressors surface (e.g. dealing with the public, performance reviews, and dealing with bad personalities), it is necessary to supply the brain with these vital nutrients to help fight or stave off stress.
Paskey (2012) examined the effect of such demographic factors as burnout rates and its degree levels, coupled with such factors as experience, age, and gender. In addition, the effect of self-care on burnout associated with social support roles was examined. Yet evidence based on a small sample size of a much greater population found that upon completing an online survey, none of the above variables in the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota study seemed to have an effect on burnout, although it can be added that there is some degree of association, however statistically significant or insignificant the association. Interestingly enough, it can be posited that any and all factors can create stress or motivate burnout. For instance, "age" as a variable itself would appear to not influence burnout, however it is can be posited that the greater the age factor associated with the the human service or social worker, the greater the chronic and social problems associated with that age, relative to a normal bell curved population of human service professionals. Thus, the possibility of emotional exhaustion or burnout, relative to a typical rookie, would not be as great, coming into the force, as exiting it -- holding all other relevant factors associated with the burnout, equal.
Paskey (2012) notes that human service professions have had an increasing direct association with burnout. For this reason, in recent years, Paskey (2012) states that “burnout has been increasingly researched in regard to those working in human service professions.” Maslach et, al. (2001) also defines this concept of burnout to be associated with three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (or a disconnect from effective interactions with people), and reduced feeling of accomplishment (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). Thus, in dealing with the exhausting nature of one’s work or service, while feeling emotionally depleted, it is essential to find support. It is essential to draw from positive sources. For example, Boyes (2013), a Clinical Psychologist, lists that among her “17 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself” is the idea or concept of simply “going slower.” In other words, make it a point to slow down in your day and find therapeutic alternatives than the same daily, chronic hustle and bustle. This is something all human service professionals, including social workers, need to learn to do, so that their mental strain can be alleviated, and new healthy perspectives can enter in. This can certainly evade headaches and dizziness and create alternatives to fatigue and emotional exhaustion.
Maslach et al. (2001) surveyed approximately 25,000 North American employees and it was found that among these, 20% met the standards or criteria for advanced burnout. Thus it is likely that someone reading this blog post falls under the same category. And so our bodies are our structural vehicles, which can also experience wear and tear, such as strain. Just like the mind, the body needs rest and a healthy balance of daily, moderate use. For example, for law enforcement officers, particularly in dealing with the strain of their daily roles, and anything for which physically serving the needs of others can become a cause for exhaustion and burnout, it is essential to find social and emotional support in addition to giving others the same in one’s profession. Thus, a human service professional, putting in long hours daily, and serving the human needs of the public can be an unhealthy cause for strain on the muscles and can cause a lot of tension on one’s back, neck, and shoulders. This sort of wear and tear on our bodies is reminiscent of the kind of occupational stress experienced by all human service professionals, and this coupled with giving compassionate care, can cause fatigue, for which “burnout” is a common risk factor associated with these kinds of professions. Simmons (2015) states that with clinical social workers, for example, “compassion fatigue” is a common side effect of this level of service. This is something that, in addition to the burnout associated with human service professions, causes those who extend the “unusual” love and care toward individuals, as part of their service, to become exhausted with fatigue. Caring for children alone can also cause this. So to conclude, to help cope with all these roles associated with emotional exhaustion and burnout, it is essential to find a healthy balance -- not only for the mind, but for the body as well.
References
Boyes, A. (2013). 17 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-practice/201302/17-ways-take-better-care-yourself
Paskey, T. (2012). An Examination of Self-Care and Social Support Regarding Burnout
Levels of Direct Care Staff and Social Workers. Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. St. Catherine University, University of St. Thomas, School of Social Work. Retrieved from http://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=msw_papers
Simmons Staff (2015). Self-Care Tips: Advice from Professional Clinicians. Simmons
School of Social Work. Retreived from
https://socialwork.simmons.edu/self-care-tips-advice-from-professional-clinicians/
Smallens, S. (2015). What I Wish I Had Known: Burnout and Self-Care in Our Social
Work Profession. The New Social Worker: The Social Work Careers Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/field-placement/What_I_Wish_I_Had_Known_Burnout_and_Self-Care_in_Our_Social_Work_Profession/
Psychopathic bully girl guilty: Ms Carter, in the Chat Room, with a Cell Phone.
Something ended this week. It started long ago and had some turns. One turn led to his death. The other led to her guilty sentence for his death by suicide that was supposed to be part of a death pact between the dead party and the guilty party. Their paths were littered with over 1000 Face Book and text messages between them. Like an unwarned of movie spoiler, her Face Book posts leaked her plot out for anyone who cared to read or dared to intervene.
In 2014 Michelle Carter was 17 and Conrad Roy III was 18 when his trail ended in his truck, parked at a Kmart on July 13, 2014. After backing out of the pact, she harassed him like a common school yard bully. And then like a closest frienemy she attacked him for backing out of the deal, as if she were not already so out of there.
“And u can’t break a promise. And just go in a quiet parking lot or something,” she said from her screen to his screen. Was it an intimate whisper, or a shrill scream at a wayward child?. If he was guilty about putting his parents through this, she reassured him, they would do just fine. Maybe better, without a pathetic looser son? Poor patient Michelle even had to hold his hand and explain to him step by step, how to kill himself.
She had broken the promise sooner than a signature penned in her blood could have dried. Among her problems was a history as a self-cutter. She could easily have signed in blood. It started once upon a family vacation time in Florida,2012, but was pretty much a long distance social media relation from start to end. And she was dreaming bigger dreams for herself, all in living color. He, the depressed looser who had failed to die, just die, at least four previous times, could be of use. But only dead. Only then could she morn and cash in on the attention and condolences.
Without a whip, baton or stun gun this cyber-dominatrix in training commanded him back into the deadly fumes filling his truck there in the lot. Most cyber-bullyng lasts less than 6 months. Michelle had time to kill, she had two years. It is usually anonymous. Did she sign off with virtual hearts and kisses next to her name? A big, slow thug of a bully in jackboots could never compare to her finesse and clean hands. Cyber bullies often work as a pack species. Michelle was a one woman lone wolf bully straight out of her own central casting.
Her script was a mash-up of Stanley Millgram's shock experiment and Richard Zimbardo's student prison experiment. Invited to go on a kinky but chaste dating experience, the hero caves under her powers, and like a beaten man he walks into his gas chamber and shuts the door behind himself. She rides off on a school parade float into the sunrise of a better life. As the face of suicide prevention and the creator of a memorial sport stadium, she would be both a very young charitable society matron/queen and homecoming queen who didn't have to give up the crowns or thrones after a short one year.
The truth might be girls can bully “smarter, much smarter than the man,” if they put their mind to it. It helps if the mind has some psychopathic tendencies. We could understand those tendencies as they came out in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and we could be shocked by her revenge inflicted with a Steely Dan upon her latest abuser in a position of authority. We could be shocked while smiling and praising her spunk. She came off well as a movie heroine.
Eating disorders and self cutting are private internalized activities. Michelle took her issues and dumped them on vulnerable Conrad Roy the Third. Did the power trip of it make her feel in control of her own life? Did this end her self-cutting? Did her food stay down easier?
From where came the tendencies here in the bright young lady with Florida vacations and all the things that come with life in a family that hires “celebrity psychiatrist Peter Bregin” for the defense? Were the tears she shed upon the verdict the crocodile tears previous held for her big scene? I like to think so. And I like the court rewrite of the final act even more so.
She was a hard sell for a heroine and a good ending. And the sequel? The idea of calling the suicide line and reaching Ms. Carter is disturbing. “Hello, how can I assist you?”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-text-suicide-20170616-story.html
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G.R.A.C.E & Yoga
The Effects of Yoga for PTSD Survivors
Yoga is an ancient practice, that focuses on the mind, body, and spirit. It is believed that around 2000 years ago, Patanjali collected the practice of yoga, in his work, the Yoga Sutras. The Yoga Sutras contain 195 statements, that are thought to be a guide book for yoga. Yoga consists of what are known as the eight limbs: yamas (restraints), niyama (observances), asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption). When you say yoga, most Westerners, think what is called asana, or the physical postures of yoga (yoga journal). Examples would be warrior one, and down dog. Most people think that to practice yoga, one needs to be flexible, and a hippie (which is fine if you are). But truth is, anyone can practice yoga, and you can still eat meat while you do.
There are several benefits to practicing yoga, reduced anxiety level, protects the joints, protects the spine, boots the immune system, and lowers blood pressure. Yoga also can improve focus, among many other benefits. By using the breath, or pranayama, it allows the practitioner to bring their mind to the present moment, and to gain a deeper sense of self. In an article written by West, Liang, and Spinazzola, entitled Trauma Sensitive Yoga as a Complementary Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Qualitative Descriptive Analysis, (2017) note that yoga has also been known to benefit eating disorders, schizophrenia, and ADHD (p.176). They also note that focused breathing, aids in emotion regulation control.
West, Lang, and Spinazzola, (2017), state that while there has been a significant amount of research on the use of yoga to aid in the treatment of PSTD, there has been little in the study of yoga, and PTSD related to childhood trauma. In their study, there were 31 women, ranging in age from 18-58, that were victims to on-going repeated physical, or sexual abuse in childhood. Also, important to note is that parents or siblings were most often the abuser. There were five specific themes that were used; gratitude, and compassion, relatedness, acceptance, centeredness, and empowerment or G.R.A.C.E. Their study found that mindful movement, and awareness helps to regulate arousal, and increase the ability to experience emotions in an environment that is safe. It also allowed the participants to feel safe in their own body. This is something I think that would be extremely important after experiencing any kind of abuse. Participants also noted that it gave them the ability to apply G.R.A.C.E. in their lives off the yoga mat.
On a more personal level, while in yoga training, one of the requirements is to do 10 hours of community service, I taught someone with multiple sclerosis, but one of my classmates taught in the women’s correctional facility. I would imagine that by teaching in this environment, she was teaching to many that suffered from various forms of trauma. What was amazing to me was how badly these women wanted it, and needed it. What an opportunity to change the way these women see themselves, and to teach them that they are of value, and that they can turn their lives around. This classmate was trying to get the jail to let her use a bigger room, because she was having to turn people away.
In conclusion, yoga is an amazing tool, the best tool in my opinion for self-care. Yoga can be used for both mental health, and physical health. Yoga is accessible to anyone and everyone. You don’t have to do the fancy postures (asanas), to practice yoga. If all you do is sit in the present moment and breathe, that is yoga. If you compliment yourself or someone else, instead of being negative, that is yoga. Most importantly yoga is the way you live off the mat.
References:
West, J., Liang, B., & Spinazzola, J. (2017) Trauma Sensitive Yoga as a Complementary Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Qualitative descriptive analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 24 (2), 173-195. Doi: 10.1037/str0000040.
Yoga Poses, Classes, Meditation, and Life - On and Off the Mat - Namaste. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2017, from https://www.yogajournal.com/?_escaped_fragment_=
Trauma-Informed Care For Women
This post is derived from the following peer-reviewed work: Miller, N., and L. Najavits. (2012). Creating trauma-informed correctional care: A balance of goals and environment. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 3, DOI: 10.3402/ejpt.v3i0.17246.
Research Summary: Miller and Najavits note that “rates of posttraumatic stress disorder and exposure to violence among incarcerated males and females in the US are exponentially higher than rates among the general population; yet, abrupt detoxification from substances, the pervasive authoritative presence and sensory and environmental trauma triggers can pose a threat to individual and institutional stability during incarceration” (2012). As such, Miller and Najavits explored the challenges and potential benefits of trauma-informed correctional care to suggest strategies for administrative support, correctional staff development and educational opportunities, and institutional stability. This team found that trauma-informed correctional care demonstrated promise in “increasing offender responsivity to evidence-based cognitive behavioral programming that reduced criminal risk factors and in supporting integrated programming for offenders with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders” (2012).
Assessment of Findings: The work by Miller and Najavits accurately highlighted the trauma that is experienced by many prisoners before and during incarceration. Their work is a particularly interesting framework in which to examine the trauma experienced by women before and during their incarceration. For instance, many women are a witness to violence, experience sexual abuse (either as a child, adult, or both), and/or intimate partner violence. These experiences may help to pave the road to engaging in criminal behavior by increasing their risk to engage in violent behavior, use illicit substances, and/or engage in petty criminal activity to support themselves in the absence of being able to maintain a 9-5 job.
Once incarcerated, women may be especially susceptible to continuing to experience psychological distress and trauma by fellow inmates, harsh corrections staff, and their withdrawal from substances. For instance, women that have experienced intimate partner violence where they felt that the partner was dominant may have ongoing psychological distress from the corrections and guard staff that are not trained in trauma-informed care and can’t recognize that their tactics may exacerbate many problems for inmates. Take a look at the following video from the New York Times (in partnership with Netflix) which shows much of the trauma that women experience in jail...focusing on the first few days and weeks. (If the URL doesn't work or the video doesn't play, it may be accessed here: https://paidpost.nytimes.com/netflix/women-inmates-separate-but-not-equal.html).
The video does a great job of detailing the issues specific to women in prison. For instance, the trauma that they may experience by being removed from their families—especially young families—may compound experiences that they had prior to entering the criminal justice system. So, what can be done? Well, the first thing that must be addressed is training. Corrections staff must be able to identify when trauma-informed corrections care is needed. Even when not explicitly reported by an inmate, staff may be able to pick up on makers of trauma during the intake process or through daily routines. Once the need for care is identified, these women should receive counseling, any necessary medications, and they should be cared for by corrections staff of the same gender that have some training in crisis intervention and, of course, trauma informed care. Lastly, these women should receive some additional support to help ensure that their family life can be maintained through augmented visits or access to phone calls on a more frequent basis. Ideally, when these women leave the criminal justice system, they will have been able to address their trauma issues and their rehabilitation will decrease recidivism.
Correctional Officers Stress
During week four, I expressed on a unique and personal story I had about an old friend of mine who work as a juvenile dentition officer. To summarize the story, while working as a juvenile correctional officer he encountered a 15-year-old detainee who had severe mental problems. On one occasion, this detainee decides to place his own fecal matter on himself; to prevent the detention officers from grabbing him and help him in any form from what he was about to do next. From there the young man attempted to hang himself. Afterward, officers rushed in the effort to prevent the suicide attempt. At first officers were hesitant in the efforts to assist the detainee, due to his smearing of the fecal matter on himself. But, due to the professionalism of these officers, they were able to overcome this hesitation and prevent the detainee from committing suicide. A few weeks after this transaction the individual turned in his resignation letter, stating the occupational strain were just too much to overcome.
This story got me thinking about the possible occupational strains correctional officers must face. Regrettably, I don’t have any firsthand knowledge on the matter, thus I did some research on possible correctional stressors. So, I would like to just talk about the possible occupational strains many of our correctional officers may face.
Correctional officers are faced with several occupational risk factors, since they house a population of inmates with the task of providing public safety and encouraging offender rehabilitation. Long term occupational stressors may lead an individual towards the feelings of being burnout. In turn, the employee will feel a sense of decreased organizational commitment and lower association towards productivity. For example, it is estimated that 37% of correctional officer’s experience some sort of work-related strain leading towards exhaustion; compared towards the 19% to 30% within the general working population. (Finney, Stergioupoulos, Hensel, Baonoto, & Dewa. 2013)
So, what are the causes of the emotional work-related strain? The three occupational tensioners are: organizational stressors, vocational stressors, and exterior system stressors. (Finn, Pg12-16. 2000) First, organizational sources relate towards overcrowded facilities, understaffing, and supervisory demands. (Finn, Pg12-13. 2000) From 1990 to 1995, the ratio between correctional officer towards inmate population rose from 4.2 to 4.6. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) Within the same time frame the nation’s correctional officer population only increased by a total of 14%. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) Forcing many facilities to enforce mandatory overtime for officer and unpredictable rotational shifts as well. (Pittaro, 2015) This lead many officers to the emotional clash of role uncertainty and confliction. (Finn, Pg13. 2000)
Second, the vocational source of stress relates towards threat and/or action of inmate violence, prisoner demands and manipulation, and problems with coworkers. (Finn, Pg13-14. 2000) As a result of the criminal subculture the concentration of prison gangs has increased. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) Therefore, it is only natural that the number of altercation between inmates and correctional officer increase per year within the State and Federal prison system. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) To illustrate, between 1990 and 1995, the number of prison attack on correctional officers increased by nearly one-third. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) Per one superintendent, the prison gang population is not afraid of assaulting staff members today; they don’t mine if they end up in segregation. (Finn, Pg12. 2000) Reason being, many of inmates are already serving an extended prison sentence, so they don’t fear any additional punishments. (Finn, Pg12. 2000)
Finally, exterior sources of stressors refer towards poor public image and poor pay. (Finn, Pg15-16. 2000) Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the range salary for a correctional officer in 2011 was in between $27,000 to $69,610, with an average annual salary of $43,550. Unfortunately, due to the political pressure many municipalities are facing, many of them are cutting their annual correctional budge spending per year. Meaning the average annual salary for a correctional officer will not be moving up any time soon. And according towards the U.S. Bureau of Labor, its estimated that by the year 2020 an additional 26,000 correctional officers will be needed.
Peter Finn wrote a book titled: Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Programs and Strategies. Finn details the importance of stress reliving program within the Counties, States, or Federal correctional system. Within the book he elaborates on my key states and their programs. For example, Rhode Island family service society, California counseling team, Massachusetts stress unit, Oregon peer support program, and Texas post trauma staff support program. (Finn, Pg20. 2000) Finn also stresses the secondary aspect these stress reliving programs have on the overall system. For instance, they release some of the financial burden many of the municipalities carry over sick time leave abuse, high turnover rates, and union relations. (Finn, Pg6-7. 2000)
References
1. Finney C, Stergioupoulos E, Hensel J, Baonato S, & Dewa C. (January, 2013). Organizational Stressors Associated with Job Stress and Burnout in Correctional Officers: A Systematic Review. Copyright: BioMed Central LTB.
http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-13-82
2. Finn, P. (December 2000). Addressing Correctional Officer Stress: Programs and Strategies. Copyright: U.S. Department of Justice: National Institution of Justice.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183474.pdf
3. Pittar, M. (2015). Stress Management Strategies for Correctional Officers. Copyright: In Public Safety.
http://inpublicsafety.com/2015/01/stress-management-strategies-for-correctional-officers/