Social Work Journal Reflection

For this journal I chose to read an article related to social work and its role in trauma and crisis counseling, because that’s something I’m also interested in pursuing. I found an article that talked about trauma counseling and how “mindfulness” plays a major part in counseling and how it’s important to use when helping clients who have experienced traumatic events. Mindfulness is described as a “nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness” (Brantley, 2003). This can be helpful to those that have experienced some sort of trauma because it really helps them to live in the present moment instead of reflecting on and fighting emotions and experiences from the past. With that being said, it is shown to reduce anxiety and psychological stress that the client experiences. It can be used on a wide array of traumatic experiences including abuse, PTSD, and even mental health issues. The article also talks about trauma in general, specifically the biological aspects of it, and how those can come into play when counseling and how you can use that knowledge to better help clients. The article then goes on to explain and give tips on how to properly conduct trauma counseling and also how to incorporate mindfulness into your counseling. According to the article there are 4 phases of counseling that you can go by to better the way you help a client. These are: initial counseling, addressing symptoms, addressing trauma, and terminating counseling. It also goes into depth about each phases and really is helpful for those who wish to know more about trauma counseling as a career, or for those who are already counselors and wish to improve their craft.

This article addresses problems concerning vulnerable populations. People who have experienced trauma are very at risk to develop other problems such as depression, anxiety, and other things, and with trauma counseling, especially when used with mindfulness, these people are able to get help and feel comfortable getting help before their problems worsen. Classes at UK such as anatomy/physiology and psychology can help with those pursuing trauma counseling careers. These classes are important because trauma occurs in the brain and the function of the brain as well as the chemicals and hormones that it releases are a part of what causes trauma. Psychology is important also because trauma is rooted in memories and improper counseling can retrigger someone and cause them psychological distress.