Trauma Theory
The overarching research purpose is to explore the perceptions of social workers working with survivors of trauma. Therefore, the main research questions: “What factors in the counselling setting promote resiliency for social workers who are working with survivors of trauma?” This research question draws on concepts such as resilience, trauma-informed practice, vicarious resilience, post-traumatic growth, and vicarious post-traumatic growth.
Personal Positioning My interest in trauma work and, in particular, the experiences of trauma clinicians is largely due to my educational background in Sociology, my experiences travelling and living in cities that experienced collective violence or marginalization, and my brief time working in the counselling …show more content…
Sociology interests me given its diverse knowledge base and its ability to analyze social behavior through group dynamics at the micro, macro, and mezzo levels. In terms of sociological theories, I was drawn towards the symbolic interactionism, which focuses on how individuals make meaning from their social environments and how this affects their group membership with people who are undergoing similar processes (Teevan, 1987). Social constructionism ties together with symbolic interactionism in that it focuses on the sociological aspects of a person’s reality. However, I also draw on social constructivism, which acknowledge how psychological, sociological, and neurological aspects work to create a person’s reality (Teater, 2010). Social constructivism is uniquely aligned to social work in that it acknowledges how reality is equally constructed by individual and societal factors (Teater, 2010). Greene and Lee (2009) describe six aspects of applying social constructivism to practice: 1) develop collaborative relationships; 2) focus and work towards client directed goals; 3) take a position of curiosity; 4) maintain a non-expert position; 5) learn and use the client’s language; 6) co-construct reality through dialogue (Teater, 2010). A social constructivism approach also aligns with trauma-informed
Personal Positioning My interest in trauma work and, in particular, the experiences of trauma clinicians is largely due to my educational background in Sociology, my experiences travelling and living in cities that experienced collective violence or marginalization, and my brief time working in the counselling …show more content…
Sociology interests me given its diverse knowledge base and its ability to analyze social behavior through group dynamics at the micro, macro, and mezzo levels. In terms of sociological theories, I was drawn towards the symbolic interactionism, which focuses on how individuals make meaning from their social environments and how this affects their group membership with people who are undergoing similar processes (Teevan, 1987). Social constructionism ties together with symbolic interactionism in that it focuses on the sociological aspects of a person’s reality. However, I also draw on social constructivism, which acknowledge how psychological, sociological, and neurological aspects work to create a person’s reality (Teater, 2010). Social constructivism is uniquely aligned to social work in that it acknowledges how reality is equally constructed by individual and societal factors (Teater, 2010). Greene and Lee (2009) describe six aspects of applying social constructivism to practice: 1) develop collaborative relationships; 2) focus and work towards client directed goals; 3) take a position of curiosity; 4) maintain a non-expert position; 5) learn and use the client’s language; 6) co-construct reality through dialogue (Teater, 2010). A social constructivism approach also aligns with trauma-informed