Here's a free practice question to help you get ready to pass the ASWB exam. (Find much more on trauma-informed care here.)
A social worker is working with a group of adolescents who have experienced trauma. The social worker wants to use a trauma-informed approach to facilitate the group sessions. Which of the following principles should guide the social worker's practice?
A) Safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and choice.
B) Empathy, validation, confrontation, feedback, and termination.
C) Assessment, diagnosis, intervention, evaluation, and follow-up.
D) Engagement, rapport-building, goal-setting, problem-solving, and homework.
What do you think? Even without any experience in, or memory of learning about, trauma-informed care, you might be able to get this one right. It just takes some narrowing down. Answers with "confrontation" and "homework" don't sound particularly sensitive to the needs of teens who've experienced trauma. That leaves A and C. Which of those is sounds more like what you'd want to do in a trauma-informed group?
That's right. The correct answer is A) Safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment and choice.
A trauma-informed approach is based on the understanding of the impact of trauma on individuals and systems and the need to provide services that promote healing and recovery. A trauma-informed approach should generally adhere to six key principles: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment; voice and choice; and cultural; historical; and gender issues. These principles can help create a safe and supportive environment for trauma survivors to share their experiences and cope with their symptoms.
Answer B) Empathy… is incorrect because it describes some of the core skills of group work but not specifically related to trauma-informed practice. (Note "confrontation" in that list.)
Answer C) Assessment… is incorrect because it describes some of the steps of the generalist intervention model but not specifically related to trauma-informed practice.
Answer D) Engagement… is incorrect because it describes some of the components of cognitive-behavioral therapy but not specifically related to trauma-informed practice.("Homework" is the giveaway here.)
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