Trauma And Child Abuse Essay

Child abuse is a global epidemic, distressing millions of children across all countries and within all cultures. Child protective laws remove thousands of children from their families’ custody and place them under the child welfare system. Children are taken for allegations of unsafe con­di­tions that include cases of abuse, neglect or par­ents who are unable to care for them. The presence of multiple risk factors increases the likelihood of negative outcomes for children and youth who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic event. Traumatic experiences can profoundly affect development and functioning across the child’s lifespan, including how they experience relationships and display mental health symptoms. Victims left with unresolved

The need to confront trauma is increasingly seen as an important part of effective traumatic treatment. It is essential that mental health professionals help children to understand and address traumatic experiences before, during, and after adoption. Art-based interventions help survivors address the difficult and often traumatic experiences that led them to being placed in foster care. According to “SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, it states “Using narrative puppetry and storytelling, children in foster care have the opportunity to communicate traumatic experiences and address topics such as attachment and identity formation throughout their writing” (). Using a creative approach allows survivors to communicate their understanding and meaning of their own story, new perspectives, and possibly a new relationship to an old storyline. Exploring different perspectives allows writers to recognize personal strength and skills.

According to “Giving A Voice to Children in Foster Care Through Narrative Puppetry and Storytelling” it states, “Art therapy can provide alternative ways to respond to events, to encourage experimentation, and to facilitate access to positive emotional and behavioral change” (Beebe). Reflecting on past trauma through using trauma treatment allows survivors to explore their understanding and meaning of their own

In using their voice to illustrate their stories, victims can evoke emotional connections. Stories can connect and bond together those with similar experiences and positively influence the perspective of someone else’s life. Stories can connect current and former children in foster care, who, in a way, have lost a part of their identity. Stories are a form of therapy and safe haven where people find comfort in telling. *****According to “Giving A Voice to Children in Foster Care Through Narrative Puppetry and Storytelling”, “Stories can connect former and current children in foster care, who, in a way, have lost a part of their identity through the disruption of being taken away from their biological families to connect their past, including that of their ancestors, empowering them to feel part of a community” (Beebe). Stories are powerful because they evoke compassion with strangers too. Learning more about someone and their story enables us to understand them on a different level and hence form a different connection. These deeper connections give them the courage to share their stories too, seeing someone with such confidence gives them a sense of ease. Lindsay Beebe states, “Sharing stories can give children in foster care the ability to see beyond their current experience of disappointment and loss and grow their resiliency” (Beebe). Finding your voice