Page 41 - Jan/Feb 2017 FTM

Senior seminar: Families and trauma
The senior seminar is the capstone class of the family studies concentration. By the time the students are in this class, they have taken most, if not all, of the other required classes for the family studies concentration. This means they are already familiar with family theories and mental health. The students, 12
in the class, had a variety of majors including social work, psychology, women and gender studies, sociology and anthropology, and biology. This variety of majors increased the depth and breadth of the conversations. As
an LMFT with a PhD in family social science and years of experience treating clients with trauma, I chose to design the class around trauma and families, due both to my own expertise and
what would be most beneficial for
the students. The first six weeks was spent on definitions of trauma, brain development and trauma, examining trauma through an ecological lens and PTSD criteria. We spent time learning about children and trauma, specifically using attachment theory and the effects of child abuse and children witnessing interpersonal violence. We then examined trauma’s impact on parenting, historical trauma, intergenerational transmission of trauma and cultural aspects of trauma and families. We looked at the effect of trauma within a couple relationship using an attachment lens, as well as types and effects
of interpersonal violence. We also discussed compassion fatigue and shared self-care practices. Next, we covered grief and ambiguous loss. We finished the sixth week reading the book, All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, and writing papers applying a theory to the traumatic events detailed in the book.
The second half of the class focused
on treatments for those who have experienced traumatic events. We discussed mass trauma and refugees’ trauma experiences. We also discussed barriers to services for individuals, including language differences. We looked at natural disasters and the effect of deployment on families. We examined specific treatments, including NET and TF-CBT, and had a guest speaker who
has designed treatments for families
in IDP camps. The following week, we looked at resilience, faith and spirituality. We also had guest speakers join us who had experienced the murder of a family member and they spoke about faith
and forgiveness. The remaining weeks were spent with the students giving presentations on projects.
Projects included doing a synthesis presentation of a topic of choice that looked at a traumatic event’s impact on the family system, using several family level theories. Additionally, they each presented on experiential learning projects, which included a capstone project of at least 40 hours working with families in a community-based setting.
Teaching this class was exciting,
scary, joyful and challenging. Similar
to when I am working with a client
who is sharing a trauma narrative,
I felt attuned to bringing the class through difficult content that was emotionally laden, connecting to their internal process, and coming out into
the present moment and engaging
them with the more factual aspects of studying trauma. An example of this
was when discussing the memoir book we read with stories of family members dying due to community violence. We discussed the family system patterns and community patterns that perpetuated the violence and how each family member reacted. We shared how this felt similar to our lives and communities. Then we were able to discuss how specific family theories were useful
in understanding these situations
and interventions that could benefit individuals and communities in these situations. I felt lucky to lead a class through this challenging topic, but also wary of balancing academic learning and interacting with their own lived experience. I had to be understanding if a student needed to step out of the room briefly due to feeling too upset about a topic, or needed to spend time talking after class. Through these emotions, students were able to understand their own lived experience in a deeper way.
Students appreciated the challenge and opportunity to learn and apply theory to
trauma. Though this is a difficult topic to approach, it is vital to our communities. This knowledge can help to prepare future helpers think about trauma systemically, in order to support others.
Student reflections
“This class has helped me understand trauma as extending beyond an individual experience. I always
thought of trauma through the lens
of the individual, but now I see how
it impacts family systems, dynamics,
and relationships. This class has also helped me understand the protective and inhibitory factors that can impact the course of trauma recovery. Learning about trauma through a systemic lens has been a benefit because it has allowed me to see the magnitude of trauma and the macro-level implications of it.”
“This course has taught me three major things about trauma: trauma is extremely subjective, holistic, and individualistic... each person will experience trauma very differently...trauma effects the entire person, not just part of them...each person’s individual process of dealing with their trauma and learning resilience should
be honored instead of questioned, and nurtured instead of adjusted.”
Erica J. W. Kanewischer,
PhD, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, an AAMFT Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor.
She teaches at Saint Olaf College in the Family Studies Program and works at Sand Creek, EAP designing new programs and providing clinical services. She has worked as a clinician for many years serving children, couples and families and has taught at several schools including St. Mary’s University’s MFT Program.
References
Adams, S. A., & Riggs, S. A. (2008). An exploratory study of vicarious trauma among therapist trainees. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, (2)1, 26-34. doi:10.1037/1931-3918.2.1.26
Shannon, P., Simmelink-McCleary, J., Im, H., Becher, E. and Crook-Lyon, R. (2015a). Developing self-care practices in a trauma treatment course. Journal of Social Work Education, (50)3, 440-453. doi:10.1080/10437797.2014.917932
Shannon, P. J., Simmelink-McCleary, J., Im, H., Becher, E.,
& Crook-Lyon, R. (2015b). Experiences of stress in a trauma treatment course. Journal of Social Work Education, (50)4, 678- 693. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2014.947901
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 39