DIGEST - Volume 9, Issue 1

5 TPC Digest Read full article and references: Jorgensen, M. F., & Schweinle, W. E. (2018). The Research Identity Scale: Psychometric analyses and scale refinement. The Professional Counselor , 8 , 21–28. doi : 10.15241/mfj.8.1.21 T he Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) is very specific about the criteria that must be met for a diagnosis of clients with post-traumatic stress disorder. Other presentations of trauma-related symptoms have been noted in the literature and have been observed frequently enough that they have been uniquely classified, such as historical trauma and cultural trauma. These two manifestations of traumatic experience involve collective traumatic experience upon massive groups of people and how the traumatic experience affects subsequent generations. Although historical trauma has commonly been used to refer to the centuries of genocide and oppression endured by indigenous peoples in the Americas, cultural trauma has been used to designate the centuries of oppression and discrimination experienced by enslaved Africans and their descendants in the Americas. Cultural trauma suggests that there is a lasting effect on African American people that can affect their cognitive, affective, and behavioral functioning. Given the specific historical context out of which cultural trauma has arisen, this article proposes specific, culturally relevant interventions that can be utilized in the treatment of cultural trauma. The effects of cultural trauma can be seen in some African Americans across the lifespan. Just as all persons who have traumatic experiences in their history do not exhibit post-traumatic stress disorder, all African Americans do not display symptoms associated with cultural trauma. This article outlines a proposed program designed to address cultural trauma in African American children and adolescents, particularly in the middle school age range. Cultural trauma is known to affect school performance and to influence interpersonal relationships with parents, family, and friends, as well as mood and self-image. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) was developed as a treatment approach to childhood and adolescent traumatization, normed for ages 3–18. It has been empirically tested in various research designs and has been designated evidence-based. TF-CBT entails providing participants with psychoeducation, affect regulation, and cognitive reframing skills so that they are equipped to talk about their trauma histories in a healthy, minimally distressing manner. Once counselors see that their clients have information and coping skills to help them process their trauma histories, counselors support their clients in producing a narration of the trauma story—for example, a written account, a song, artwork, or dramatization. With younger children, counselors may write the story that has been narrated to them while older clients take more responsibility for their trauma narration. Lastly, TF-CBT focuses on exposing the trauma survivors to reminders of the traumatic experience so that they can practice their new coping skills and on helping clients think about ways to feel safe in the future. The model utilizes conjoint parent sessions at key points in the therapy so that parents learn to support their children in an appropriate manner and so that these clients have a safe space to begin to talk with their caretakers about their experiences if they have not already done so. In the context of this proposal, the enslavement of African peoples and subsequent “Jim Crow” racial discrimination and oppression are the traumatic experience. Participants are provided with education about the history of Black people in the United States, along with coping skills that help them channel anger and rage about injustice in constructive directions. The trauma narration supports participants in shifting the meanings they place on the past that may fuel feelings of inferiority, internalized racism and self-doubt, and externalized anger to meanings that support empowerment, resilience, perseverance, and ingenuity. Exposure experiences afford clients the chance to exercise their strength and power by engaging in social justice-oriented service learning. Capitalizing on a very Afro-centric principle, safety planning involves teaching participants how to reach out to the community for support and to utilize the wisdom of trusted persons in their circle of influence. The program ideally can take place in a school after-hours, in a church, or other community setting. Like TF-CBT, it is a brief model outlined to be composed of roughly 12 weekly sessions. Given that family structures vary, participants are asked to have a “community of three” to join them for specific parts of the program. This community of three might include parents or might include other family members or significant adults. In this proposal, practitioners are offered a treatment approach that helps children and adolescents who have incorporated a negative sense of self because of a false narrative about the enslavement and oppression of people of African descent in the Americas to reframe the manner in which they see themselves. Through psychoeducation, skill building about feelings and thoughts, and reconstructing historical narratives, this program aims to help its participants develop a sense of cultural empowerment that positively influences academic performance, interpersonal relationships, and overall self-image. Ricardo Phipps, NCC, is Assistant Director f Student s ling Services at Marymount University. Stephen Thorne is a chaplain and adjunct professor at Neumann University. Correspondence can be addressed to Ricardo Phipps, 2807 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22207, rphipps@marymount.edu. 5 |