AT 5405 Trauma II: Trauma & Art Therapy Community Engagment
This course explores counseling and psychotherapeutic theories and techniques, including the counseling process in a multicultural society. It serves as orientation to wellness and prevention and introduces counseling theories used to assist in selection of appropriate counseling interventions; models of crises or trauma counseling consistent with current professional research and practice; development of a personal model of counseling; and multidisciplinary responses to crises, emergencies, and disasters. This community engagement class incorporates the student in research, discussion, observation, and reflection about a traumatized population, including formulation of best practice treatments incorporating art therapy specific to the needs of the community being served which is related to their trauma and homelessness status. The impact of acculturation, assimilation and trauma related systemic problems result from racism, oppression, and violence towards the vulnerable population. Today the world is filled with individuals, communities and nations who live with trauma or traumatic memories. Their traumatic experiences exacerbate feelings that interfere with the thinking part of their brains. Untreated, trauma affects an individual’s capacity to form trusting relationships and to find meaning in a chaotic world. With untreated dissociative and violent memories, individuals, communities, and countries continue the cycle of violence. This course is the second of two elective Trauma classes, (2 units of 3), as students must have taken the 1-unit foundation Trauma and Art Therapy Treatment course, GPY 4400 before taking this class. This class builds upon the first trauma class, with its lectures, group work, videos, ongoing reflection, and art experiences which will review best practices and equip professionals in treating traumatized individuals in diverse settings using both graphic and narrative languages. Additionally, this community engagement class provides students with a learning opportunity to focus on reciprocity, assets, having the community identify their needs, and learning from community members. Once the community has been identified and the instructor has collaborated with the community leaders to find out their needs and desires about this collaboration, the initial two Saturday classes will have the students meet the community to help further identify areas of collaboration and exploration. The agency will lead and dictate the needs of the engagement. After reaching a consensus, which meets the needs of the agency, the students will further research the identified community, their cultural history, the specific types of traumas incurred and to identify best practice treatments. This community engagement (CE) course will implement 12-15+ hours of community service, concluding with an art show. This class will include: several small student groups researching history and victimization in the communities, acculturation and assimilation of complex and compound traumas; the culturally relevant clinical treatments appropriate to support this community; as well as art therapy practices to employ within a short-term treatment model of community engagement.