While trauma is most commonly associated with posttraumatic stress disorder, it can manifest in adulthood in many different ways. Consider those who have experienced poverty, racism, or grief, for example. These clients may be significantly affected by their trauma but may not necessarily receive a diagnosis of PTSD.
Social workers intervene directly with trauma when working in veteran’s services, domestic violence/sexual assault response programs, and child protective services. Social workers intervene with trauma indirectly when working in mental health, substance abuse clinics, schools, refugee resettlements, and other forms of social service. Whether or not you are directly or indirectly treating it, trauma will be present in the practice space.
In this Discussion, you take on the role of a social worker engaging with an adult who has experienced trauma
Describe how you would engage with an adult who has experienced trauma. Specifically:
Consider the questions you would ask to elicit information about the client’s trauma experience.
Explain how you would educate the client on the effects of trauma.
Explain what advanced-level clinical modality you would recommend and why.
Week 9: Learning Resources
Learning Resources
Required Readings
Brandell, J. R. (Ed.). (2020). Theory & practice in clinical social work (3rd ed.). Cognella.
Chapter 8, “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Adults” (pp. 147–174) (Review)
Chapter 13, “The Treatment of Trauma” (pp. 285–302)
Joseph, R. (2019). Poverty, welfare, and self-sufficiency: Implications for the social work profession. Journal of Poverty, 23(6), 505–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2019.1616037
Pemberton, J. V., & Loeb, T. B. (2020). Impact of sexual and interpersonal violence and trauma on women: Trauma-informed practice and feminist theory. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 32(1-2), 115–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952833.2020.1793564
Watkins, D. C., Goodwill, J. R., Johnson, N. C., Casanova, A., Wei, T., Allen, J. O., Williams, E. G., Anyiwo, N., Jackson, Z. A., Talley, L. M., & Abelson, J. M. (2020). An online behavioral health intervention promoting mental health, manhood, and social support for young black men: The YBMen Project. American Journal of Men’s Health, 14(4), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988320937215
Required Media
Walden University, LLC. (2022). Clinical social work interventions [Interactive media]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com
This discussion asks you to take the role of a social worker engaging an adult who has experienced trauma, describing how you’d engage them using a trauma-informed approach. Center safety, trust, and the recognition that trauma extends well beyond diagnosed PTSD.
Key takeaways
- Trauma manifests broadly (poverty, racism, grief), not only as diagnosed PTSD.
- Use a trauma-informed approach: safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment.
- Prioritize engagement and rapport before anything else.
- Avoid re-traumatization — how you ask matters as much as what you ask.
- Support with scholarly sources and cite.
Frame trauma broadly
Acknowledge that trauma shows up in many forms — poverty, racism, grief, violence — and many affected adults never receive a PTSD diagnosis. Trauma will be present in the practice space whether you treat it directly or indirectly.
Trauma-informed engagement
Describe how you’d engage using the principles of trauma-informed care: establish safety (physical and emotional), trustworthiness and transparency, choice and control, collaboration, and empowerment. Build rapport first; let the client set the pace.
Avoid re-traumatization
Explain concrete practices — asking permission before sensitive topics, watching for triggers, validating experiences, cultural sensitivity, and strengths-based framing. The how of engagement protects the client.
Format
Support with scholarly sources and cite in APA.
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