Paper Example on Creating Interventions for a Trauma and Abuse Child

Introduction

Adverse childhood experiences such as family disruption, neglect, and abuse have long-term traumatic effects that often result in a substantial deficit in a child's neurodevelopment. Empirical studies reveal that this is often associated with the production of sensory sensitivity, dissociation from the society, dysregulation and hyperarousal symptoms, behavior disorders, as well as avoidance. The traumatic events and experiences include violence, physical and emotional abuse, as well as physical and emotional neglect. The case study highlighted herein outlines the traumatic history of Justine whose prognosis was indicative of early childhood neglect. The paper will subsequently propose interventions and approaches that can be employed in his treatment program through the three pillars of trauma-informed care.

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The Case Study

Justin was born to a fifteen-year-old girl and left under the care of his grandmother when he was only 2-months old. Though kind-hearted and by-all-accounts are loving, Justin's grandmother had obesity and related health complications that saw her in and out of the hospital. She died weeks later, leaving Justin under the care of her 65-year old boyfriend who had no idea on how to bring up a child except treat him in the same manner he treated his dogs. As a result, Justin was constrained to a dog's kernel, allowed to eat and bask as the dogs, consequently denying him the essential developmental encounters needed for his normal brain, social, and physical, sensory and motor development. He demonstrated deficits in visual processing, sensory modulation, and cognitive ability.

Trauma-Informed Care

It stands to contextual reason that a child exposed to complex traumatic encounters requires complex and long-lasting interventions. Justin was exposed to early neglect and had to grow through six years despite a pervasive sense of loneliness that not only resulted in dissociation but also led to devastating developmental repercussions throughout his lifespan making it hard for him to adapt to any source of extreme adversity. The most appropriate treatment intervention for Justin entails the creation of an environment that can result in the development of adaptive coping and self-regulation in the context of safety and sound connections with all his adult carers (Bath, 2008).

The Three Pillars approach to Trauma-informed care builds on the fact that the process of healing from traumatic and chronic stress exposure occurs in non-clinical settings and include more non-verbal actions than verbal communication. Since interpersonal factors will play a vital role in the treatment program, the intervention entails the Three Pillars (Safety, connectedness, and coping) which, according to researchers, creates an environment that fosters brain development, resilience and ultimately holistic healing. Famous developmental theorists and scientists such as John Bowlby, Abraham Maslow, and Erik Erikson concluded that safety constitutes a core developmental need for children (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment,2014). Maslow reiterated that safety is indeed a primary survival need without which, a child may be exposed to a psychosocial crisis that is detrimental to the establishment of trust in light of Erikson's assertions. The defining experience for children like Justin is that of feeling safe considering he has already developed a pervasive mistrust of his adult caregivers (Bath, 2015).

Consequently, he became "adult wary" resolving to strategies that would keep his caregivers a bay through dissociation, suspicion, outright hostility and avoidance. The first imperative therefore in his treatment will include the creation of a safe place by ensuring that considerable emphasis is directed towards allowing the child to have the appropriate power and control over his circumstance where it is practically and developmentally possible. Bruce Perry (2006) emphasizes the need to meet the emotional and physical safety of the child through consistency, honesty, predictability, and reliability in the creation of a safe environment.

Connections

Bath (2008) highlights the inter-dependency between safety and link in the development of comfortable relationships between care providers and traumatized children. Evidence-based studies argue that positive relationships constitute the vital ingredients of healing, recovery, and growth. Resilience and in-depth understanding represent the primacy of positive, lasting connections between Justin and caring adult caregivers. From the perspective of neurodevelopment, the alleviation of negative emotions in a traumatized child requires the employment of positive relationships (Bath, 2008).

Justin lacks self-regulation skills as he did not have the benefit of having parental figures to teach him how to calm himself down. To help him develop self-regulation, then I will employ a collaborative problem-solving model that entail the use of basic skills such as active listening, resilient responses to the pain-based behaviors to avoid the infliction of secondary punitive and controlling reactions.

The Management of Emotional Impulses (Coping)

The coping stage is the third pillar of Trauma-Informed Care aimed at enabling a traumatized child to meet the challenges that life presents while managing the impulses and emotions underlying traumatic stress. Through coping, the patient can successfully develop a strengthened need for independence and mastery. Justin struggles with emotional self-regulation through his chronic irritability, impulsion and recurrent depression. To help him maintain emotional equilibrium, the intervention program will include the employment of cognitive therapy to help calm his sensory brain over time. Though Justin is not fully-equipped for verbal treatment, the approach will aid his development of self-reflection capacity and verbal competency. Mere verbal processes such as naming immediate feelings will help calm his brain's amygdala, thus reducing emotional intensity significantly. Also, the approach will include asking normal questions, attuning to non-verbal cues, and calmly speaking to him even when he is upset. Through the presence of a caregiver, offering responsive and continuous support, Justin will learn to self-soothe himself, develop a sense of belonging and restore his emotional equilibrium.

References

Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C. H., Perry, B. D., ... & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186.

Bath, H. (2008). The three pillars of trauma-informed care. Reclaiming children and youth, 17(3), 17-21.

Bath, H. (2015). The three pillars of traumawise care: Healing in the other 23 hours1. Reclaiming children and youth, 23(4), 5.

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services.