Traumatic Experiences Faced by Tina Essay Example for Free

Traumatic Experiences Faced by Tina Essay1.1 Traumatic experiencesAs a result of her returns commitment to her marriage, Tina may experience a wide range of traumatic experiences. As a teenage girl she is predisposed to creationness break by the step male relatives that shes living with. In this sense, she faces excited, physical and psychological scream at the hands of protracted family (Finkerlhor Browne 1985). The type of foreseen traumatic experiences is approximatelyly aggravated by Tinas profile and situation in the family.Being a step daughter, whose mother constantly wants to make an parkway to extort the union places her in a disadvantaged angle where either one of her step family members may find her either as a bane or an accessory that can be utilised to his advantage. Looking at this scenario, one cannot rule out the huge misadventure being of a sexual nature, this is cod to the contemporary affable behaviour deep down family units, where children ha ve become accessories to utilise for adults pleasure.Tinas mother and her new union could be the beginning of Tinas switch nightm atomic number 18. A chain of traumatic events could arise from just one form of abuse, for arguments sake lets take sexual abuse and unpack it to its vanquish possible chain of events. aft(prenominal) being sexually abused by either one of her step family members, Tinas could contract a sexually transmit disease she could fall pregnant and maybe be forced to go through an abortion because of fear of stigma and lack of shop at from her mother and extended family. Alternatively, Tina could end up deciding to commit suicide due tofeeling trapped, alone and depressed.1.21.2.1 Effects of Child stepChild abuse has been conceptualised by a lot of scholars in various ways, this has either misrepresented or diminished the intensity of its effects in children. I feel that how one conceptualises child abuse should capture the exact effects and aggravated mean ing it holds for its sufferers. This is a broad concept that when narrowed gives birth to various other concepts that encompass childrens victimization. Hence, for the subroutine of Tinas case, I have adopted the meaning that was captured in a study conducted within the Nigerian region. This not only gives Tinas story relevance but it also take ons with the same factors that affect an African teenager within the boundaries of a family unit is subjected to. Hence Akhilomen sees child abuse as an intentional or neglectful physical or delirious injury imposed on a child (2006).As mentioned above, Tina could be perceived as a threat or an outsider by either one of her step family members and that could lead to delirious and physical abuse such as neglect, she could be rejected and side-lined by her family members. As culture dictates, women argon expected to leave their a bustard child with their families when they start new families, Tina is then automatically subjected to such un spoken discrimination within the family. She may be at a disadvantage of favourism of the brother because he is the husbands son this making it an emotional injury and also the possibility of verbal and physical abuse arises.Children who suffer abuse within families argon said to show certain behavioural traits in society or whatsoever other groups they were initially involved in before the abuse. Suffering from the above-mentioned forms of abuse could raise feelings of sadness, anger, high treason, unworthiness and children will soon be withdrawn from social scene (Finkerlhor Browne 1985).1.2.2 Effects of Sexual abuseThe National Centre on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) describes sexual abuse as contacts or interactions between a child and an adult when the child is being used for the sexual stimulation of the adult (Kempe Kempe 1987 in Schoeman 2013 63). This conceptualisation finds relevance in Tinas case as she is used for her step brothers stimulation and benefit for sexual pleasure.Sexual abuse has four traumatic impacts in a childs life these are discussed from a clinical and socio-cultural view. Finkelhor and Browne (1985) came up with a conceptualization that could be used in research and sermon of sexual abuse victims. This is tar hurting commonwealth in pastoral roles away from the family unit where children are exposed to these stressors in this case Tina confiding in her teacher is the counterbalance step to acknowledging teachers as social activists.These are labelled as the four traumagenic dynamics and they are impacts that alter childrens cognitive and emotional orientation to the humanness and create trauma by distorting childrens self-concept, world view and effective capacities (1985). Traumatic sexualisationRefers to a process in which a childs sex activity is shaped in a developmentally inappropriate and interpersonally dysfunctional fashion as a result of sexual abuse. This stage consists of feelings towards the offender it affe cts the trust facial expression of the relationship as this case is an intra-familial encounter. This is where more behavioural signs are seen, Tina will feel a psychological disorder in her normal mental functioning. She will come along sad, confused and eventually she will withdraw from her normal self. This is the first sign that people close to her will be able to notice a disruption in her life. PowerlessnessPowerlessness impairs a child sense of efficacy, a reaction to this stage will be fear and anxiety and total wrong of control in situations that resemble the abuse (Finkerlhor Browne 1985) (Schoeman 2012-2014). As noted in the scenario, Tina already feels like going back home is like beingin a trapped hole where she has no control over what happens to her. She fears for her life, she feels more like an object to her brother than a family member BetrayalThis refers to a stage in a victims life where a number of reactions are noted, during this stage, they suffer feelin gs of grief and depression. This is coupled with feelings of hostility and anger in young girls of Tinas age. Distrust may manifest itself in isolation and fear and resentment of males which at a later stage affects their ability to operate on in healthy heterosexual relationships (Finkerlhor Browne 1985). Tinas feelings towards her mother as the person that subjected her to this she feels StigmatizationLastly, given the feelings her mother has towards Tina and their previous experience with her father, Tina will most definitely be stigmatised by the family and initially her mother as she has dismissed her attempts to report the case. This will affect Tinas ability to trust and depend on her mother as she has deliberately failed to protect her (Schoeman 2012-2014). She will have feelings of resentment towards her mother as she will feel she subjected her to this by constantly forcing her to make causal agency to accept her new family.This is validated by my initial statement nea r cultural expectations with bustard children Tina will not get support from whateverone in her circle of family as her mother will be accused of bringing this misfortune to herself. These banish connotations will not only affect the mother but Tina as easy as these feelings are associated with suicide attempts and other self-destruction behaviours.1.3 Maslows Hierarchy of of necessityFig 1.3.1 pic Safety NeedsTinas sexual abuse has distorted her normal view and perception of the world and the people in it. This has burst her safety bubble she no longer feels safe in anyones follow because her mother, being the one person to protect her has failed to do so. This has crashed her emotional and psychological link to the mother and world she looks up to. Love/BelongingFeelings of powerlessness and betrayal have left her feeling that she does not belong anywhere in the world. People whose love needs have been destroyed lose their sense of being worthful and belonging to society and hence the sky rocketing statistics of suicide amongst teenagers of Tinas age (McLeod 2007).Tina may feel that her mothers pressure to make an effort to the family has caused her all this pain and trauma and she may conclude that she does not love her or she chooses her new family instead of her. This eventually leads to rejection and feelings of worthlessness. This will affect her ability to engage in healthy heterosexual intimate relationships as she grows older, her ability to establish and maintain friendships will also be affected as she loses trust in people. Esteem NeedsA child whose esteem needs have been destroyed will find difficulty perceiving herself as a normal worthy and valued individual. It affects person from obtaining a higher level of self-esteem or self-respect (McLeod 2007).Children who are sexually abused usually turn to worse measures to agglomerate with the inadequacy they feel inside.SECTION 22.1 Counselling versus Support for information Problems Counselli ngDefined as a facilitative process where the direction uses particular skills to help young people help themselves more effectively (Gillis 1997). This facilitative process entails giving common sense advice and it extends the teacher-learner, parent-child relationship. Counselling is a more emotional than logical process of problem solving, in this sense, the counsellor has to be more aware of the childrens perspective of things and be able to come up with an interactional plan to help that child cope and solve the problem at hand. Counselling provides the child with a chance for growth and change. In this instance, Tina needs her teachers, ally educators and mostly her mother to help her find a way to address and deal with the abuse in her life. Counselling versus Learning Problem ConceptualizationLearning problems refer to the difficulty faced by children in partaking to academic/educational activities. These may be unpacked as limitations to comprehension of study content a s rise as reading and writing (Schoeman 2012-14). This is characterised by the inability to engage in class activities or carry out academic tasks like other children, these are then regarded as learning problems which given the availability of professional help, the teachers may have to intervene and help.Counselling is a facilitative process where the counsellor uses detail skills to help young people help themselves more effectively (Gillis 1997). This facilitative process entails giving common sense advice and it extends the teacher-learner, parent-child relationship. Counselling is a more emotional than logical process of problem solving, in this sense, the counsellor has to be more aware of the childrens perspective of things and be able to come up with an interactional plan to help that child cope and solve the problem at hand. Order/Method of PracticeThe approach or method of addressing these two roles differs regarding the needs of the child as well expectation of perfor mance from the person in the pastoral role.Counselling entails the use of emotional relations into facilitation to helping the children become bring out problem solvers. There are certain skills that are required from the person who takes on the counselling role. This then dictates the order or manner in which the counsellor can create a condusive environment for the children. In these one may include the categories for counselling responses. These are namely evaluating, interpreting, supporting/reassuring, questioning/probing, advice, communication, verbal and non-verbal responses and silence. These are all broken down to give a scope of the know how of counselling.Learning support is a different ball game when it comes to going about it. Here the teacher has to take into consideration the state of being of the child, have full understanding of the problem and its dynamics. Schoeman (2012-2014) provides a list of guidelines that teachers are to follow in order to effectively assis t children with learning problems. These guidelines are as follows keep sessions short, meet regularly with the learner, sessions should be highly structured, keep anxiety levels at minimum, centre on specific issues being addressed and keep morale high.2.2 Trauma and its Effects on Tinas lifeTrauma implies intense emotional lesion that may comprise of bodily wounds, it entails the wounding of a persons emotion, spirit, will to live, beliefs about themselves and the world, dignity and sense of security (Matsakis 1996 in Schoeman 2012-2014). It refers to any negative event that causes an individual to re-experience an earlier traumatic event so that the current event somehow becomes as traumatic as, or at least potently reminiscent of, the earlier event must(prenominal) itself be regarded as traumatic (Urman, Funk Elliot 2001403-4).The trauma suffered by Tina is unpacked to various stages of response andfeelings, amongst these, one has noticed pass off processes as to those des cribed for the purposes of sexual abuse, and as a result, this section will only address the retaliation feelings from Tina. In this sense, Tinas story will be addressed according to Lewis three traumatic phases of response (199515-16). These are namely the impact phase, the recoil phase and the re-integration phase. Impact PhaseThis stage can stand up from a few seconds to days immediately after the trauma, Matsakis continues to state that the victim may appear emotionally disorientated, confused irrational and disorganised (199634-5). At this drive Tina will need comfort and reassurance from her adult figures and pastoral actors such as her teachers. At this stage assurance, comfort and love are the key things she needs from people around her. Recoil PhaseAccording to Lewis, this is the reality phase (199515). Tina will experience feelings of sadness, guilt and anger. At this point in her life, Tina will have positive feelings of post-traumatic stress resulting from a constant reminder or reality and flashbacks from her sexual accompanying. Re-integrationThis phase holds Tina captivated in her own mental and psychological body as she eventually assimilates this horrible experience as part of her life. She however slowly learns to reintegrate herself with people, this is her bodys way of trying to heal and overcome the traumatic experience. Here she will show enthusiasm to reconnect with people the way she did before the trauma (Lewis 199916).2.3 Parental Involvement versus Parental CounsellingIt has been established that children who suffer any form of abuse need thesupport of their elderly people to overcome the effects of the traumatic experiences. Amongst the people who can provide this form of support are parents and teachers. As a result it is important to note the angle in which parents can be included in the programs for assisting children. Parental CounsellingThis form of support is addressed to the parents as primary caregivers to the children w ith learning difficulties. In this support programme parents are taught how to handle and give support to their children as a form of confederacy with the teachers in managing the problem a child may be facing. The focal point lies in this form of problem being intrinsic and more emotional for both the parent and child. In some cases parents suffer from ignorance and fail to understand or even identify the problem (Schoeman 2012-2014). It is in this sense that parental counselling becomes useful. Parental InvolvementParental conflict need not only to be for the formal meetings with the school authorities but Schoeman (2012-2014) notes that parents should be involved in all that involves their children within the school. Amongst these activities school learning and intervention programmes, they should be involved in teaching their children in particular skills that can be useful to their development. Their involvement in cultural and sport activities not only benefits the child but the entire school benefits from an involved parent.2.4 Tinas InterventionIt is important for school teachers to be familiar with the mandated reporting laws and know to what agency they should report suspected sexual abuse (most often, Child Protective Services). To prevent Tina from feeling betrayed after she has confided sexual abuse, teachers must first get approval from the child to get the authorities and other institutions involved to resolve the matter.Remedial intervention comprises of six principles of practice (Schoeman 2012-2014). In these the teacher will have to design a detailed and proper planned learning strategy for Tina. Tina needs patience as a result I find it relevant to employ attention to basic skill, motivation and evaluation principles into practice. In this I feel helping Tina will require more while in between school breaks and maybe after classes to establish a proper workable strategy for individual treatment.The first step to reporting this incident wi ll be to alert the school support system and the governing body of this situation. This will happen with Tinas consent. The school governing body and committee will then summon Tinas mother to school to make her aware of the problem as well as of Tinas attempts to report the abuse. later this meeting, a decision to further report the police will be tabled and a decision will be reached to act in the benefit of the victim. After the formalities have been dealt with, Tina and her mother will be taken to a community wellness centre for children and get counselling as they have to get help with living beyond this abuse. Tina will continue to get remedial treatment in class until she shows signs of reintegration.Reference listAkhilomen, D.O (2006) Addressing Child Abuse in Southern Nigeria The role of the Church. Studies in World Christianity, Vol 12(3) pp235-248. Available at http//muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0type=summaryurl=journals/studies_in_world_ch.. Date Accessed 10th August 2013Fi nkelhor, D Browne, A ( 1985) The Traumatic Impact of Child Sexual Abuse A conceptualisation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol 55(4). Available at http//univerityofnewhemisphere.ac.za. Date Accessed 10th August 2013Harley, K., Barasa, F., Bertram, C., Mattson, E. Pillay, S (2000) The real and the ideal Teacher roles and competencies in South African polity andpractice. International Journal of Education Development Vol 20(2000) pp 287-304. Available at http//ukzn.ac.za.Date Accessed 10th August 2013McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http//www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.htmlSchoeman, S (ed) (2012-2014) The educator in a pastoral role. University of South Africa