Child Trauma and Counselling

Both children and adolescents vary in the way they respond to traumatic experiences. The response of individual youths tends to be shaped by their developmental level, cultural factors, available resources, past trauma exposure and preexisting child and family challenges. But almost all children and adolescents display some form of behavioral change of distress in the acute phase of recovery from a traumatic experience (American Psychological Association 2008). This study aims at investigating the reactions of children towards trauma and the various approaches of treating them. Also, the study will investigate some of the factors that influence the persistence of trauma in exposed children. Such a view permits the integration of psychosocial and neurodevelopmental conceptualizations that seem to underlie rational clinical treatment and assessment.

Childhood and adolescent trauma can result in future disorders by engraving its often permanent characteristics on the maturation and development of the individual. Based on the characteristic, pattern and number of traumatic events, nearly 27 percent to 100 percent of children especially those who experience sudden, man-made violence, tend to develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Schwarz & Perry, 1994). Other children experience a wide range of symptoms related to posttraumatic stress, anxiety, behavior disorders, fears and depressive disorders. Mental health care experts have become increasingly concerned about the serious impact of traumatic events on the mental health of children. Prospects to help may emerge by collaborating with first responders as well as community organizations that care for children and their families, by working alongside the traumatized clients.

Research Question This study seeks to answer this research question: RQ1: What are the reactions of children towards trauma and what are the various approaches that may be applied to help them? RQ2: What are some of the factors that influence the persistence of trauma in children? The objective of the Study The study aims to inform of the different ways of helping children exposed to traumatic events. Literature Review Reactions of children towards trauma Both children and adolescents vary in the way they respond to traumatic experiences. The response of individual youths tends to be shaped by their developmental level, cultural factors, available resources, past trauma exposure and preexisting child and family challenges. But almost all children and adolescents display some form of behavioral change of distress in the acute phase of recovery from a traumatic experience (American Psychological Association 2008).

This threatens their overall sense of normalcy and security. Following such events, the families of these children encounter the challenges of a settlement with the insurance companies or relocation once their homes have been damaged. The mental recovery of a child in the aftermath of a traumatic occurrence like a wildfire, classically relies upon the ability of his/her parents or caregivers to offer the child with adaptive coping strategies and emotional support in order to help him/her return to normalcy (Shepard, Kulig, & Botey, 2017). Research also indicates that trauma has the inherent capability of altering the life course of a child and therefore weaken innate resilience. Furthermore, the constant exposure to more threatening events can weaken the brain’s ability to act promptly and effectively to the situation.

Nevertheless, parental Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms emerging from the child's trauma has been strongly linked to the development of Post-Traumatic Stress in children (Wise & Delahanty, 2017). Thus, familial influences as well as the responses of the parent to the child’s trauma act as moderators of adjustment in children who are traumatized. Parental Post-Traumatic Stress has been found to intermingle with the biopsychological risk factors of the child following a trauma to increase the risk for the development of PTSD for the child. In addition, parental PTS moderated the link between early child biological risk factors and PTS of the child six months after he/she is exposed to a traumatic injury. Therefore, the way the parent relates to the child after exposure to trauma and assists the child with coping strategies may have a significant impact on the recovery of the child.

A personal construct approach is also another way of helping traumatized children. Truneckova & Viney (2006) use a case study of a girl who mourns over the loss of her father to explain the effectiveness of counseling and the relationship that should co-exist between the counselor and the child. The authors also argue that personal construct counseling is a process that becomes significant when choosing the right model and practice for treatment. Their study shows that therapeutic relationships in counseling of traumatized children play an important role to enhance treatment. The central role of a personal construct counselor is to assist the child gain the ability to differentiate between self and others. In the case study, the traumatized child was able to re-enter a story and reconnect with the memory of her father through play.

Eventually, with time, the child was able to reintegrate her father’s memory into a narrative of their relationship. Ulph, Leong, Glazebrook, & Townsend (2010) report that there may be barriers to the effective counseling of children. In their study, interviewers often reported the lack of adequate resources thus compelling them to utilize conference materials, make their own or adapt materials. Also, in the study counselors believed that enough interview resources would be helpful when communicating intricate concepts and when providing children with ownership. Their consent will be obtained prior to the study. In addition, the participants will be informed about the conditions and procedures of their participation in the research. Besides, the interview process will be recorded and stored in tapes for transcription, coding, and analysis by the researcher.

The identity of the participants will be enclosed throughout the research. Therefore, each interview file will be given a false name to maintain the anonymity of the parents and the participants. Ethics Ethical issues will be taken into serious consideration in the study. For example, the researcher will be careful to maintain the anonymity of the participants. Furthermore, the researcher will obtain written consents from the participants prior to the study. Discussion/Conclusion The proposed study is aimed at uncovering the reactions of children following a traumatic event. The collected data is aimed at revealing some of the factors that influence the persistence of post-traumatic stress in children and the different treatment approaches that could help speed up their recovery. Provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling for children.