PSY 685 Historical & Intergenerational Trauma: Intervening with Parents & Parenting Behaviors

This course addresses structural and systemic ways trauma is passed down through generations in families and communities and provides a framework for identifying and addressing these patterns. Understanding the intergenerational transmission of trauma lays the groundwork for exploring the role of trauma in the lives of parents. The link between parental trauma history and child abuse and neglect tends to be overlooked. Many of these parents also experience multiple challenges related to high rates of poverty, childhood abuse, interpersonal violence, and substance and mental health disorders. Parental trauma can have a profound impact on both parenting and engagement with the child welfare system. The purpose of this course is to help social workers, nurses, psychologists and other helping professionals improve their understanding of these dynamics when engaging parents and families. Students will learn how to identify signs and patterns of historical and intergenerational trauma, acknowledging historical trauma and its impact on the family and community, explore impact of trauma on parenting, identify barriers to service engagement, and bridge assessment and intervention skills to practice utilizing experiential learning and simulation exercises. This course is part of the Strengthening Resilience: Interdisciplinary Approach to Intergenerational Trauma (IAIT) Certificate Program, which is supported by the BHWET grant. It is consistent with the mission of the National Catholic School of Social Service. The complete mission statement can be found at http://ncsss.cua.edu/mission.cfm

Cross Listed Courses

SSS 685 & PSY 685

Prerequisite

open to degree-seeking graduate students in NCSSS, Nursing, and Psychology