Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay

Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay Sexual abuse has been a growing concern in our society. The statistics on sexual abuse in America are alarming. According to Finkelhor (1994) approximately 150,000 confirmed cases of child sexual abuse were reported to child welfare authorities in the United States during 1993 (p.31). Lucinda stated, I have worked with children who have been sexually abused and it is a devastating experience for the individual. Working with an individual who has a history of sexual abuse would be very difficult. The individual will likely be guarded and possibly closed off from the surrounding environment. He or she may not want to talk about what happened in their past, and want to shut it away so they never have to relive the horror that happened to them. Since this abuse is not as visible as physical abuse, it is harder for people outside the abuse to recognize it. The individual in the abuse may feel that it is their fault, or they are inviting the abuser into the relationship. The abused individual may also feel that when speaking about the abuse to another person, that person will judge them think it is the fault of the abused. Core Issues Some of the core issues in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is gaining the clients trust so that they may disclose their history of being sexually abused and feeling safe and not being judged. Lucinda stated, For me, the most important factor for the clinician is to gain the trust of the individual first before the client feels safe enough to share such an experience with a total stranger. Sexual abuse is a touchy subject to some and some individuals do not disclose having been sexually abused because they feel ashamed or guilty or they fear being judge has damaged goods. According to Levs post, 88% of cases of sexual abuse are never disclosed by the child. In agreement, Alaggia (2005) states, 50% to 80% of victims do not purposefully disclose childhood sexual abuse before adulthood (p.454). Another core issue is the ability to gain that initial trust between the client and the clinician. For someone that has had a history of sexual abuse this can be a hard aspect to have happen. This is understandable because at some point in that persons life they lost the ability to trust when someone took that opportunity away from them. Its like that individual had their bond of trust violated and that may carry over as an adult for the ability to trust their own feelings and judgment. Additional core issues noticed with those sexually abused would be placing the blame on themselves or taking the responsibility for what has occurred to that individual. Also, having a constant fear instilled in them that something is wrong with them. Perhaps even issues with power and control because one may feel that was stripped away from them. An abused child will not open up unless they can trust again (trust is obviously something that is tarnished and even lost through the abuse). Another core issue in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is using memory to work through the trauma. As Courtois (1992) points out, Therapy is geared not only to the retrieval of autobiographical memory, but towards the integration of affect with recall to achieve resolution of the trauma. Because so many feelings, emotions of the memories are difficult to deal with on a day to day basis, many victims of sexual abuse tend to dissociate and therefore can suffer from dissociative disorder and PTSD. I think it is extremely important to address sexual assault of males. So often is hard to come forward about the assault but as Hopper (2010) addresses, Approximately one in six boys is sexually abused before age 16. He goes on to talk about the long lasting affects of sexual abuse and how it can become a perpetuated cycle of being hurt: Avoiding getting close to people and trying to hide all of ones pain and vulnerabilities may creating a sense of safety. But this approach to relationships leads to a great deal of loneliness, prevents experiences and learning about developing true intimacy and trust, and makes one vulnerable to desperately and naively putting trust in the wrong people and being betrayed again. A core factor for many that are abused is that they are not alone. Many times knowing that others are dealing with a similar situation can make a huge difference. Therapeutic Models The types of therapeutic modality that works best for someone who has been abused should be determined based on the individual and the therapist preference. In the article by Courtois (1999) discusses that the resolution of sexual abuse trauma requiring retrieval of memory and the working through of the associated affect. This is important so the individual can heal by having fully acknowledged what has occurred to them in the past. The article further states, memory retrieval is an important component of the therapeutic process. As a therapist, an essential task when working with the client, would be having them acknowledge the abuse that has happened to them and be able to retrieve the full memory to proceed in the healing process. Courtois (1999) notes how memory deficits are quite characteristic of trauma response and are utilized in the interest of defense and protection. This is an essential point for the clinician to understand in working on trauma resolution in general and me mory retrieval in particular. The strengths perspective acknowledges the client as the expert, which allows the memory retrieval to be a lot easier, and to be more accurate from the client. It is crucial that clinicians be educated when working with individuals who have a history of childhood sexual abuse. Stearn (1988) states, to diagnostically assess and treat clients in the most effective manner, social workers need to discover how each sexual abused clients views himself or herself, significant others, and the world (p.466). Jennings (1994) examines ways of using a broad spectrum of creative approaches, such as art, play, dance, music and drama, and combinations of those, to work with people who have been traumatized by experiences of sexual abuse (p.471). Lucinda stated, In my opinion, the best therapeutic modality that would work best with clients who have a history of childhood sexual abuse is using the strengths perspective. The client is the expert on his or her own experience because only they know how they felt and what actually occurred during those moments. Bell (2003) believes the strengths perspective involves turning away from rational, empirical models that order and codify reality, toward a constructivist view, which holds that the identification of human problems reflects not objective reality, but the perspective of the one doing the looking. With this constructivist understanding, three assumptions emerge from the strengths perspective. First, clients have personal and environmental strengths and are more likely to act on those strengths when they are affirmed and supported. Second, the strengths perspective views the client as the expert on his or her own experience. Third, the roles of the social workers shift from expert and fixer to collaborator who respects and fosters the strengths of the client (p.513). Lucinda stated, I feel that being empathetic, understanding, and compassionate are important in working with these clients. According to Calof (1993) listening to their stories and helping them explore the truth of their experiences has enabled many to turn their lives around (p.45). Family therapy is also important. Acknowledging the important and loving family members and their role in the victims life can help. With their love and support, the abused can work with the family to form treatment plans and other means of support. As social workers, we have to not only listen to what our clients are saying but also read their body language as well as anything else they give us as clues. They are children who have been violated and are reluctant to speak because in their minds they did something wrong. We have to work collaboratively with the non-offending family (if that is obvious), schools, doctors, and other professionals so that we can get a full picture of the childs symptoms, behaviors, and problems. Once we establish there has been abuse and from whom, we must remove the abuser if that has not already been done. Only then will we be able to work with the child towards a state of healing. Healing cannot happen when someone is still being abused. However literature does state most do not disclose what has happened until they are adults. Sometimes, it is not possible to remove the abuser if nothing is said about the abuse. As social workers, we would have to take every incident as it comes and deal with it as soon as possible. Unfortunately and sadly, most sexual abusers get off with a slap in the hand while the children they abuse suffer for the rest of their lives. Essential Task for Therapists An essential task for the therapist is providing a safe environment. Ensuring that a victim of sexual abuse feels comfortable in their setting is a pertinent factor in providing treatment. Also, maybe the sex of the therapist will matter. If the victim is female and was sexually abuse by a male, she may only feel comfortable speaking with another female. Lana stated, The women in my placement have expressed many times their fears and anxieties when in groups with men after sexual assaults that they faced both as children and adults. As therapist we should not only be treating for sexual abuse, we should also be doing more about prevention and education to all young children. It should not take years for a person to disclose that they were abused as child without having the ability to address the abuse. They should not have to go through the feelings that it was their fault or the one to blame. Laura stated, I think it is very important for children to understand that it is often an adult that they know who becomes an abuser. Schools teach stranger-danger, and to fear the stranger, when often the threat comes from an individual close to or seen by the child. Children need to be aware that there are monsters who can appear as nice people, who are not only strangers, and the only way to make something bad go away they have to talk. Some ways to do this is by using examples of what is appropriate from different people is the best way to get things across. Also, using child-like language is very important as well. U sing characters from TV and books can be used as examples of love and family as long as the child can relate and understand in a certain way. A therapist of someone who has a history of sexual abuse would need to patient and empathetic, while urging the individual to share their story. The individual has likely lived many years of hiding the abuse and trying to act like it never happened, while trying to live a normal life. This is not possible, as the horrible history will present itself in varying disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder and create upset in their life. The therapist must create an era of trust and safety in which the individual can feel comfortable and able to speak about their past. I think the therapist needs to ease into the revelations in order to help the individual to feel more comfortable; with each small piece, followed by safety and reassurance, another may follow, allowing the individual to reveal their past. This is really the ideal, and the therapist will need to be able to help the person overcome the varying disorders and o ther issues in their life.

The Western Frontier of the Gods :: Short Stories Jehovah Essays

The Western Frontier of the Gods Long ago, in the days of miracles, there were those gods who believed they were truly helping humanity with their divine interventions, and those who believed they harmed humanity with their interventions. A council was assembled of all major deities of the areas after the fall of Rome at their hands. Seven delegates in all from each pantheon, and of course the Jehovah with 6 of his arch-angels. From Asia to the Americas, the Nordic countries to the far southern tip of Africa, they assembled in on a neutral ground, space. People had always looked to the heavens, and thus it was a public domain to the gods, and this is where they put together the Treaty of Ba. The treaty stated that for 2000 years none of the gods would intervene, and would instead go into a deep slumber for the allotted time to see whether their intervention was in fact bad. After the 2000 year span, they return in the year XX to find the world to be a corrupt and desolate place. The fertile fields of their home lands covered in cement housing, streets of asphalt, and mass produced breeding grounds of greed and other various sins. The gods were aghast, even those that supported intervention of the gods were unable to comprehend the corruption that had taken place in their absence. They searched for only minutes before they found the answer, a spider. A huge spider, with millions of followers, thousands of avatars ranging from personal computers to corporate mainframes, and a web that spanned the globe. The stage was set for the third world war, this one not fought with godlike weapons, but with the weapons of the gods themselves. Wary of bringing about destruction, the gods crept to their most loyal followers, and spoke with them in seclusion. Their goal was to gather the masses and take the enemy by surprise. There was no point in destroying their followers without a fight, so silently the gods crept onto the scene, moving as the ninja. The struggle of Jehovah After careful deliberation, Jehovah decided to visit the Rabbi Gladstein. This man had been quietly removed from the church for his treachorous teachings that God would return to help not only the Jews, but all people.

Courting and wedding rituals in America and Afghanistan

Both countries use symbolic traditions in their beliefs of courting and weddings.  The fact that both Afghan women and North American wear a white dress at the wedding proves that the countries believe in a certain set of values. The color white overall is a sign of purity. For the signing of the documents and the after party of the wedding, Soraya wears a green dress, â€Å"we were seated around table, Soraya and I dressed in green-the color of Islam, but also the color of spring and new beginnings†(Hosseini 179). A green dress would show loyalty towards Afghanistan.North Americans believe it is bad luck to let the bride and groom see each other the night and day before until the wedding. The groom and bride in Afghan traditions are not to be left alone at all before the wedding, â€Å"Soraya and I never went out alone together while preparations for the proceeded-since we weren’t married yet, hadn’t even had a Shirini-khori, it was considered improper† (Hosseini 178).Afghans and North Americans both have the marrying couple in the center of attention, â€Å"A procession of uncles, aunts, and cousins followed as we made our way through the hall, parting a sea of applauding guests, blinking at flashing camaras†(Hosseini 179). Most of the time they are up on a stage while saying their vows, â€Å"I remember sitting on the sofa, set on the stage like a throne, Soraya’s hand in mine, as three hundred or so faces looked on†(Hosseini 180).The similarities between two different cultures are mostly found in the beliefs of the people and their traditional symbols.

Comparison of Assassins essays

Comparison of Assassins essays Assassins generally are categorized as people whom kill or attempt to kill prominent figures in their time. Everyone else involved in the attempt of or succeeding in executing another individual might be described as a killer, murderer, and so on. This paper will describe any similarities or differences in the below listed individuals considered as assassins: Of the individuals mentioned above, all of these men either attempted to or actually managed to assassinate a political figure in our history. Some of these figures were better known than others, but were well known by American society at the time. A brief description on the background of each of these men will provide the base level data for our analysis. Each of them will also be characterized due to their prior history and background using models provided by those who psychoanalyzed assassins and their profiles. John Wilkes Booth was born in a log cabin near Bel Air, Maryland on May 10, 1838. The son of Junius Brutus Booth and Mary Ann Holmes had stood in the shadow of his father, the renowned actor, and his older brother, Edwin. The Booth family in general was known for alcoholism and bouts of depression.  ¡Wilkes ¡, as people would call him, was a great supporter of the South when the civil war broke out. His brother was a staunch supporter of Lincoln. Wilkes had chosen to stay in the north, which struck most people that knew him as  ¡odd ¡. John Hinckley Jr. was the youngest of three children and born in Ardmore, Oklahoma, on May 29, 1955. The family moved several times, first to Texas, then to Colorado. Like Reagan's mother, Hinckley's mother also belonged to the Disciples of Christ; his father became a born-again Christian in 1977. A well adjusted, privileged child, as a teenager Hinckley became withdrawn and obsessed with public figures, including John Lennon. His obsession with the movie  ¡Taxi Driver ¡ not only diluted him with a...

A Non-Violent Revolution essays

A Non-Violent Revolution essays Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, later to be known as, Mahatma Gandhi, or great soul, was born in 1869, a time of political struggle and British rule, to a high caste Indian family. In 1888, at the mere age of 19, Gandhi set sail for England, where he had decided to pursue a career in law (www.sscnet.ucla.edu). After a year of unsuccessful law practice, Gandhi traveled to South Africa to join a legal company. Gandhi was shocked when he encountered first hand the extent of the European racism towards the Indians when he was thrown out of a first-class train compartment, because of his skin color, though he had, in his possession, a first-class ticket.( This incident only fueled his strive for independence and respect for the Indian people. Later, Gandhi would come to be known as one of the most influential men of all time, inspiring not only his own people, but also changing politics and international relations forever. Gandhis influence and struggles based on revolutionary ideas of non -violent protests and resistance not only changed Indias, as well as many other countrys, policies and standard treatment towards lower-class citizens, but also influenced countless people to come. Gandhi first began using non violent resistance in South Africa and soon emerged as great the leader of the South African Indian community. His theories and practice of peaceful resistance (Satygraha) were revolutionary and soon had an enormous following. (www.sscnet.ucla.edu) Although Gandhis disciples mainly included oppressed Indians, tired of their treatment from the British, whom at the time controlled much of the prosperous country, their power would not be denied. At the time, Indians could not own land, engage in trade, and were forced to pay high taxes to live in their native land. In many places, Indians werent even allowed to vote. In 1915, Gandhi returned from South Africa to his homeland, India. At t...

Four key Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four key Elements - Essay Example The economic costs of the disaster was estimated to be more than $ 150 million since the disaster impacted in more than 90,000 square miles destroying property in Mississippi and Louisiana (Schneider, 2011). The key four elements of disaster response showed incapacity in addressing fire outbreaks, engaged in haphazard evacuation and inappropriate assembly points of the victims. The state and federal agencies lacked coordination and proper communication systems of identifying hazards and coordinating the response and recovery efforts after the disaster (Cooper & Block, 2007). Resources from state and federal agencies The state and federal agencies were not adequately prepared for the disaster since the collapse of man-made levees led to destruction of more than 90 percent of utility infrastructure and lethal pollution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacked adequate emergency response mechanism and proper chains of command. FEMA experienced multiple challenges including deployment of personnel, deployment of command system, poor communication and coordination of search and rescue efforts (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). FEMA did not establish a joint field office and failed in assisting in the deployment of medical assistance teams. Both New Orleans office of Emergence Preparedness and Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOSHEP) lacked enough personnel and experience in disaster management (Cooper & Block, 2007). New Orleans Police department was trapped in water thus making it difficult to provide communication and warning signs to the citizens. Existing laws also limited the Department of Defense authority is responding. The Departent of of Health and Human services (HHS) was slow in the response and coordination of public health services following the disaster. The department lacked enough personnel in the treatment of ill citizens, assuring citizens of the safety of food and environment (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). First responders Most of the first responders were local citizens who just watched the disaster from rooftops and trees. The first responders failed to communicate or switch off the electricity. There was a breakdown in communication systems due to damage of the cell phone towers and radio antennas. The available police officers had to communicate on two radio channels thus delaying the issue of critical information (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Secondary emergency services Most of the secondary emergency services entailed National Guard troops and other secondary emergency response units such as NGOs like Red Cross contributed in the clean up and relocation of the victims (Schneider, 2011). The NGOs were instrumental in offering food reliefs, medication and shelter to the evacuated victims. Humanitarian organizations also provided blood donations, counseling services and logistical supplies. Private sector resources The private sector resources responded adequately to Hurricane Katrina. The private sector resources were utilized in all operations including evacuation, search and rescue, temporary shelters and medical response (Schneider, 2011). Private fire-fighting companies and security companies helped in evacuation, rescue and search missions. In addition, pharmaceutical companies assisted in providing cheap medicines (Levitt & Whitaker, 2009). Alternative actions that may result in positive outcomes In the future, the state and federal agencies must

Should firms price discriminate, why or why not Essay

Should firms price discriminate, why or why not - Essay Example Such concerns will be depicted in this paper and each will be discussed in detail. Price Discrimination Evolution is not only associated to management practices of business organisations, but also to what these organisations are operating for--those are stakeholders. Consumers, being a predominant external customer of companies, have also evolved in terms of their preferences. They collate different prices of similar products offered in different market environments and decide whether or not to buy such a good or service (Turow, 2005, p.125). For instance, consumers can now demand certain attributes of products that these companies produce resulting the market to become dynamic and diversified (Poynor Lamberton & Diehl, 2013, p.394). With such a smart choice, companies also conduct an investigation on their target market and decide whether such a segment is or not a profitable market (Turow, 2005, p.125). ... From this point, companies can charge a maximum price to the market segment with a more price inelastic demand and a minimum price for the market segment with a more elastic demand. With this kind of technique, companies can achieve a higher level of producer surplus from the increase in their total revenue and profits. To increase the profit, the company should exert effort to balance marginal revenue and marginal cost in each group of market (Stigler, 1987, cited in Elegido, 2011, p.635). Barriers to Prevent Consumers Switching. Consumer switching is significant in the theory of consumer preferences wherein the combined effect of their budget constraint and choices can affect the entire decision making process of customers, leading them to switch from one supplier to another (Elegido, 2011, p.637). For price discrimination to work, companies must prevent consumer switching--a method in which lower-priced products that are sold to customers can be resold by the latter to those custo mers who are willing to pay for its premium price. It must be noted that companies must not use price discrimination if they cannot eliminate the threat of consumer switching as they cannot compete for both types of consumers: â€Å"high and low willingness to pay† (Corrocher & Zirulia, 2010, p.150). Paradigms of Price Discrimination First-Degree or Perfect. First-degree or perfect price discrimination is a pricing tactic whereby companies charge each customer a different price for similar products purchased with no cost relation. Three results are prevalent when it comes to using this tactic: an increase of profits, a decrease in the level of consumer surplus, and an increase in the level of producer surplus (Mankiw, 2012, p.316).