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Defining Trauma: Explorations of explicit and implicit definitions of psychological trauma
Original Recording Date :
Length: 1 hour
Course Format
Recorded webinar.
There is a great deal of variability in how ‘trauma’ is defined. This talk will present findings from several exploratory analyses that quantify how trauma is (or is not) defined across professional organizations’ websites, position papers, highly-cited scholarly articles, books in the popular press, and as operationalized in trauma measures. Differences in defining trauma across cultures and languages will also be considered. Implications for research and clinical practice will be explored.
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate differences among a variety of definitions of trauma, including the DSM, SAMSHA, NTSCN
- Differentiate between broad versus narrow definitions of trauma
- Explain the implications of the lability of trauma definitions for measurement, diagnosis, and access to treatment.
Research: This presentation considers information from websites, position statements, Scholarly articles on trauma, popular press, and clinical trauma measures to inform the current research study and future studies.
Target Audience: social workers, mental health practitioners, creative arts therapists, marriage and facility therapists, psychologists, addiction professionals, case managers, and other interested individuals.
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Mickey Sperlich, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Mickey Sperlich, an associate professor, is an experienced midwife and researcher who studies the effects of trauma and mental health challenges on women's childbearing and postpartum experiences and outcomes. She originally became interested in research in order to better understand the needs of her midwifery clients who were trauma survivors. Her first research project culminated in the book "Survivor Moms: Women's Stories of Birthing, Mothering and Healing after Sexual Abuse," which was named the 2008 Book of the Year by the America College of Nurse Midwives.
Sperlich has taken part in several trauma-focused perinatal studies and is co-author of a psychosocial intervention for pregnant survivors of abuse, the "Survivor Moms' Companion." She completed her PhD with a dual-title in Social Work and Infant Mental Health at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in 2014. Sperlich is committed to developing and evaluating trans-disciplinary interventions to understand and address the sequelae of sexual violence and other trauma, particularly in relation to women's reproductive health and childbearing. Sperlich's research also examines the importance of a trauma-informed approach for positioning such interventions and fostering their success. Owing in part to its contribution to maternal mortality, a recent research focus includes looking at gun violence and how to better involve social workers in intervening to prevent such violence.
