The Necessity of Trauma-Informed Practice in Contemporary Social Work

Abstract

During the recent Supreme Court nominee hearings, there was a groundswell of sexual assault survivors who converged on the U.S. Capitol to enact their civic duty and to advocate against the nomination. Survivors openly shared their traumatic experiences of sexual assault. Some of the survivors had not even shared the stories with their families at the time they revealed their experiences publicly. For many, it was a tough time to listen to the stories of survivors and they were triggered either because of their own experiences with trauma or being exposed to hearing the trauma experienced by others. Since the #MeToo movement, an increasing number of sexual misconduct and sexual assault cases have come to the national forefront such as the Bill Cosby trial and verdict, and the sexual assault scandal within the Catholic Church and USA Gymnastics (Pirani & Oliviero, 2018). These matters are discussed on news and television programs throughout the day. Survivors are listening to not only the stories of trauma, but also how pundits respond to such violence, which can include victim blaming and attacks for not reporting the abuse. These matters are talked about not only on television, but also on social media and in public places. The result is almost an inability to escape hearing these discussions. Survivors and the public then find themselves exposed to what can be triggering and traumatic experiences without any support or assistance in the moment to process what they are hearing. As a result, the need for social workers to be trauma informed as a necessary form of care seems increasingly important. Recent events have also provided a stark reminder of how those who provide care for others experience secondary trauma, particularly when faced with such large numbers of traumatic stories being shared at one time. Both issues raise important areas of discussion for social workers: (1) the necessity of social workers to engage in trauma-informed practice, and (2) the need to be intentional about helping those who help others with such significant trauma histories.

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