Page 39 - Jan/Feb 2017 FTM

Traumatic events are tragically common in our world today, and
it often seems that the media increases our awareness of them.
A traumatic event can potentially have challenging effects on those
who witness it, experience it and hear about it. We know that traumatic events not only affect an individual, but can have dramatic effects on
a family system, community and everyone in connection with them.
This can be a small system, such as a couple who experience a car crash together, or a large-scale event such as 9/11 in New York City. Traumatic events affect families and communities. With this belief, as well as 10 years of experience practicing, teaching and supervising in couple and family therapy and family science, I designed a senior seminar course for
a family studies concentration. Many students in this class historically
go on to pursue graduate education in MFT or social work. This class, a requirement for graduation of all students who are pursuing a family studies concentration at Saint Olaf College, is called “Families and Trauma.” The following will take a look at the importance of including a course on families and trauma in a family studies curriculum, outlines the course structure and shares the experience of both professor and students.
It is imperative that educators prepare students to understand trauma within the family system and work with people who have experienced traumatic events. Traumatic events have system-wide impact. Students will encounter many people in their future careers who have experienced a traumatic event. Hearing the stories of hardship for the first time, and being unprepared to see how these events have changed the psychological, emotional and relational abilities of people can be difficult. It is vital to increase students’ knowledge of the research that is helping clinicians and other helpers understand why clients who have experienced traumatic events have symptoms such as PTSD, struggle with attachment, and may perpetuate cycles of violence.
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