Trauma is an emotional reaction to a terrible event like rape, earthquake, floods, and accidents among others (Schein, 2006). Traumatic events can be divided into three major subdivisions; man-made disasters, natural disasters, and violence, crime, and terrorism (Schein, 2006).
This research paper will discuss the effects of trauma on patients and counselors. Traumatic events such as earthquake and rape shall also be discussed in this research paper.
Earthquake is a natural disaster that has claimed many lives including the recent 2011 Japan earthquake. Earthquake causes destruction of properties, displacement of people, and deaths. Earthquake causes human suffering and devastation among the directly affected individuals.
On the hand, rape is a form of violence and a form of psychological trauma (Baum and Contrada, 2009). In most cases, rape victims incur disturbance of emotions, physical, cognitive, and interpersonal characteristics (Schein, 2006). Rape victims experience Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS), which occurs immediately and months or years after the event (Baum and Contrada, 2009).
Generally, traumatic events have major heath effects to the directly and indirectly affected people. However, how we process emotions after such traumatic events is distinctive to different people.
Most victims develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder especially when they loose family members or friends. Indirectly affected people face acute stress after reading or watching traumatic events on the television and newspapers. Children are most affected because they develop phobias (Schein, 2006).
In case natural disaster like floods or earthquake, the survivors may have distressing dreams while children become excessively frightened. Individuals have illusions, hallucinations, and they experience flashbacks (Baum and Contrada, 2009).
The victims are unable to have loving feelings, they feel detached from others, and they experience a sense of foreshortened future because they do not have ambitions any more (Schein, 2006). Some of the most persistent symptoms may occur and the victims cannot concentrate, become angry, and experience sleepless nights (Baum and Contrada, 2009).
At this point, a counselor may help the victim to overcome the traumatic event. Counselors play the following role. First, counselors make the victims recollect the traumatic events by providing an environment for the victim to share their experience in an honest manner and this is the first step towards healing (Thompson, 2003).
Secondly, counselors help the survivor to make decisions about their future based on past and present situation. The counselor also helps the victim to interpret what they are going through since it is the counselor’s responsibility to clarify what the survivor is experiencing without interrogating the victim (Thompson, 2003).
As such, a counselor must give the victim time to rest to enable recollection of thoughts. Finally, counselors provide an appropriate solution concerning the traumatic event.
In case of an earthquake, the counselor helps the victim to understand that the event did not happen because of their fault (Thompson, 2003). The survivors of the earthquake have to understand that they still have a bright future. The counselors also assist the victim to acquire an emergency shelter in case of displacement.
Moreover, the counselor helps the victims come to terms with losing their loved ones by creating an environment to grieve. In addition, the counselor helps the victims to accept what has happened to them in order to start a new life.
In case of rape, the counselor should explain to the victim that they did not do anything to warrant what happened. As such, the counselor helps the victim understand that not all men are going to rape them. This will help the victim to trust other men.
Massive disasters such as floods and tsunami cause vicarious reaction (Schein, 2006). The victims of such events experience anxiety and depression among other emotions including shock, anger, nightmares, grief, and confusion. In such as situation, the victims should go to seek counseling services.
Notably, after and during counseling session most counselors experience secondary traumas such as anger, stress and other post-traumatic stress (Thompson, 2003).
According to Thompson (2003), counselors with large numbers of victims experience disrupted beliefs and work related stress. Generally, counselors who work with survivors of traumas have increased chances of experiencing change in the psychological functioning (Thompson, 2003).
The counselors may experience horrors, guilt, rage, grief, and may even lead to burnout (Pearlman and MacIan, 1995). At some point, the relationship between the counselor and victim may be affected. Due to secondary traumas, the counselors may say things that the victim may not be ready to hear.
To overcome secondary traumas, the counselors should do the following. Counselors should attend seminars to be educated concerning potential dangers of dealing with victims of trauma events (Pearlman and MacIan, 1995). Secondly, affected counselors should go for training on the signs of secondary traumatic stress and treatment techniques (Thompson, 2003).
To solve this, special training should be offered to counselors on how to avoid secondary traumatic stress and other related symptoms. It is also important to educate the student counselors on the nature of their job and potential dangers before they become counselors.
In summary, traumatic events have adverse effects to both the client and the counselor. To reduce such cases advanced training is required to all counselors enable them help primary victim and become aware of their emotional state to help in dealing with secondary stress (Pearlman and MacIan, 1995).
Reference List
Baum, A., & Contrada, R. (2009). The Handbook of Stress Science: Biology, Psychology, and Health. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Pearlman, L., & MacIan, P. (1995). Vicarious traumatization: An empirical study of the effects of trauma work on trauma therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 558-565.
Schein, L. (2006). Psychological effects of catastrophic disasters: group approaches to treatment. New York: Routledge.
Thompson, R. (2003). Counseling techniques: improving relationships with others, ourselves, our families, and our environment. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.