The article by Burt (2019) examines the issue of today’s slavery, namely, human trafficking in the US. The author states that the documents indicate a growth in the number of cases, while many of them remain unnoticed, which is also mentioned by Garland (2016). The paramount purpose of this article is to raise awareness among counselors, who should know about the prevalence, assessment, and treatment options. Therefore, the author begins with the critical review of data on the notion of human trafficking, including sex and labor trafficking forms, which often use immigrants and women as vulnerable populations. The research question is not stated in the article explicitly. Nevertheless, one can formulate it as follows: What is the knowledge needed for counselors to understand and help the survivors of human trafficking?
The critical literature review and case scenario analysis are used by Burt (2019) to provide relevant information. In particular, the data is taken from the World Health Organization (WHO), US Department of State, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), and Global Alliance against Traffic in Women (GAATW). Also, the author cites more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles that can be considered reliable. Proper in-text citations allow for referring to the sources and finding more information about research in the given field. After the analysis of the key behavioral therapies, the author provides a case scenario about a 15-year-old female with depression symptoms. Based on the literature, treatment considerations are identified to understand if she was trafficked and offer pertinent services.
One of the key problems is that human trafficking cases remain unnoticed even if people met with counselors. The first important finding is that counselors should aware of related signs and use a stop, observe, ask, and respond (SOAR) assessment instrument to recognize both verbal and non-verbal signs, applying a client-centered and trauma-focused approach (Burt, 2019). It means that a client’s unique needs should be discovered by asking questions and practicing responsiveness. A Comprehensive Human Trafficking Assessment (CHTA) is another tool that contains 52 items to self-report, but this instrument cannot ensure o psychometric evidence. The second finding is that TF-CBT, a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, is considered one of the most effective treatment options due to its focus on coping, relaxation, cognitive managing, and affective change skills. Many victims of human trafficking tend to blame themselves for engaging in such activities, and a counselor must develop a set of skills in clients, working through trauma narration.
Labor trafficking is the first concept that I have learned from this article. Although I was aware of this concept generally, it was new to me read that hospitality, domestic labor, and restaurants are the key industries that use human trafficking, which means forcing and coercing people to work. Labor traffickers use violence, debt bondage, fabrication, and intimidation to force victims. Fear, a lack of opportunities, and extremely low wages prevent victims from reporting about human trafficking. TF-CBT is the second concept that refers to cognitive restructuring and self-efficacy as coping mechanisms to recover from traumatized experiences. The studies show its effectiveness in adolescents and children as it proved to decrease mental issues (Burt, 2019). However, some studies did not find significant changes in victims’ levels of depression, anxiety, and hope, which means that further research is critical.
Question: What are the signs of human trafficking in adolescents, and how to approach them in terms of counseling?
References
Burt, I. (2019) Modern-day slavery in the U.S.: Human trafficking and counselor awareness. International Journal of Advance Counselling 41, 187-200. Web.
Garland, D. R. (2016). Why I am a social worker: Twenty-five Christians tell their life stories. North American Association for Christians in Social Work.