Existential Questions And Post-Traumatic Growth
Colleague 1
RE: Discussion 1 – Week 10
In 1 sentence, identify an existential question with which you have grappled in relation to a client who has been traumatized.
I’ll use the case of Tiffani as an illustration of trauma in this discussion.
Why would a family member (Uncle Nate) abuse a young child? How is it possible for parents to neglect their child?
Reflect on your fieldwork, or perhaps identify an existential question that might arise in working with the client in the case study you have selected throughout the course.
In 3–4 brief sentences, describe where there is potential for growth for the client as a result of the trauma.
Tiffani has the ability to evolve since she has been able to learn how to endure the unhealthy relationships she has been in. She currently pursues a general education development (GED) credential, which will probably give her access to new opportunities for personal development. Although Tiffani is unsure about the best course of action, whether to stay with Donald or return to her family, this conundrum offers a chance for growth because it may cause her to reconsider her feelings toward her family.
In 3–4 brief sentences, explain where there is potential for growth for you, the social worker, as a result of listening to the client’s stories and bearing witness to their trauma.
As a social professional, hearing Tiffani’s story would help me become better at expressing and maintaining optimism for her healing from her trauma. I would far more effectively communicate the feeling of compassion to people who had gone through comparable things. I would consider myself to be a learner rather than an expert in order to experience growth. Additionally, by paying close attention to Tiffani’s experience during the process, I can learn how to assist her and how to alleviate her pain in order to bring about the desired metamorphosis.
Describe any challenges you may experience between the meaning you hold based on your personal beliefs and working within the client’s potentially different belief framework.
Tiffani, who is of German ancestry, was raised by Christians. Due to my African American heritage as a social worker, the client and I may hold different cultural viewpoints towards certain topics, such as the client’s promiscuity and her perception of her family and siblings based on her experiences with them (Vis & Boynton, 2008). It would be difficult because we would each see a similar problem from a different perspective if her faith and spirituality were different from mine.
References
Czyżowska, N., Kalus, A., Raszka, M., & Czyżowska, D. (2021, March 12). Posttraumatic Growth and Spirituality in Mothers of Children with Pediatric Cancer. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7999482/
Colleague 2- Deanna
Identify an existential question with which you have grappled concerning a client who has been traumatized.
The question is for Sam from the case study. Why would you choose alcohol as a coping mechanism knowing your wife is against it, and it prevents you from interacting with your children?
Describe where there is potential for client growth as a result of the trauma (3–4 brief sentences).
If he can answer the existential question, he can begin the healing process by developing the ability to talk about trauma without causing additional pain. Vis and Boynton (2008) report that paying attention to the spiritual aspect of posttraumatic growth is beneficial to reorient lives, consider priorities, and finding solace. Therefore, the growth potential exists because Sam was raised with a solid religious background.
Explain where there is potential for your growth as a social worker as a result of listening to the client’s stories and bearing witness to their trauma (3–4 brief sentences).
Growth for me as a social worker would include the development of knowledge, skills, and tools needed to work with clients, listening to client’s stories, and normalizing and validating client’s feelings and experiences by helping them understand current challenges that because of past victimization while maintaining a neutral stance (Knight, 2015).
Describe any challenges you may experience between the meaning you hold based on your personal beliefs and working within the client’s potentially different belief framework.
I have been concerned about a possible challenge since learning about it is countertransference when assisting clients with substance abuse. A neutral stance will help me maintain my beliefs when working with potentially different views. Knight, 2015 explains that countertransference is over-identification and rescuing behavior. She also suggests that to minimize countertransference, one should “practice self-care strategies that focus on nurturing oneself, establishing fulfilling relationships, and being proactive in managing stress