Crisis and Trauma: Impact on Survivors and Counselling Approaches

This essay delves into the significant impact of crisis and trauma on survivors, with a particular focus on domestic violence. It provides an overview of domestic violence, encompassing various forms of abuse and its global prevalence. The essay explores the psychological impact of these incidents on victims, including mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. Furthermore, it examines assessment tools like the Danger Risk Assessment, MOSAIC, and Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment, which are used to identify and evaluate specific target groups, such as young women. Finally, the essay discusses counselling approaches, differentiating between general psychological counselling and specialist counselling, highlighting their roles in aiding victims' recovery from trauma and abuse. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of crisis and trauma and the necessity of interventions like assessment and counselling.

Crisis and Trauma

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................1
Overview of domestic violence...................................................................................................1
Psychological impact of domestic violence incidents upon victims...........................................3
Assessment tools to identify and evaluate specific target group.................................................4
Counselling approaches for the appropriateness of the target group..........................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Crisis is known as the appearance and happening of any event which results into creation
of dangerous situation which impacts or affects individual, group, community and whole society.
Crisis is related to negative changes in different aspects like security, economic, political,
societal and environmental conditions of any nation. Trauma is the situation which is faced by
the individuals as response to the deeply distressing or disturbing events (Eyerman, Alexander
and Breese, 2015). This will harm the ability of the person to cope up with the situations created
due to occurrence of such events. Also, the aspects which are majorly faced by such individuals
who are facing any kind of trauma is about occurrence of the feelings of helplessness. The main
aim of this essay is to ascertain the impact of crisis and trauma on survivors.
This essay covers above the overview of domestic violence along with its impact over
victims, identification of targeted group with the help of three different assessment tools and
application of counselling approaches on the victims for their effective recovery.
Main Body
Overview of domestic violence
Domestic violence is the situation which includes the abuse of one person by another in
domestic setting such as in marriage or cohabitation. It is also known as partner violence which
is committed by spouse or one partner against another spouse and partner. The different kind of
violences which are also included under the category of domestic violence is any kind of abuse
with children, parents or with elderly persons. Also, the violence is segregated in the different
terms which are named as physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, sexual and
reproductive violence which results into disfigurement or death of the victim. These are
considered as the general aspects which belong to the category of violence. But, bride burning,
stoning, dowry deaths and honour killings comes specifically under the heading of domestic
violence (Russell, Butkus and Figley, 2016). It is ascertained that there are many reasons which
becomes the basic cause of violence includes different race, religions, sexual orientations,
poverty, lack of education, social economic status, low sense of self worth etc. All these are
considered as huge risk factors which have contribution in development of the domestic violence
too.
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It is a global issue and faced by every nation irrespective of their resources and
government intervention they have to control such acts. This is the situation due to which an
individual goes into trauma where he/she is unable to cope up and recover itself because of
getting the feelings of helplessness (Byford, 2016). The major impact of these violences can be
seen in the behaviour of an individual and due to high level of stress & low self esteem, they
loose the ability of coping up with these type of situations.. Australia is one of the developed
nation, who is facing the issue of domestic violence too. After sufficient interventions from the
government officials, some major steps for resolving this problems were introduced in past few
years.
It is assessed from the information provided under Australian Bureau of statistics that 2.2
million adults are the victims of physical and sexual violence. This type of violence is too
common in nature where 1 out of 6 women faced physical or sexual abuse from their previous or
current partner since the age of 15. 1 out of 4 women, aged above 15, has faced emotional abuse
from their current or previous partner/s. There are many groups which are seemed vulnerable in
Australia includes Children, Young women, senior citizens, people with disability etc. To
understand the vulnerability of these individuals, analysation of their past information and data is
essential. In respect of children, it is ascertain that around 2.5 million have faced the physical or
sexual abuse before attaining the age of 15. The individuals who are mostly indulge in the
violence of children includes their parents or someone known to the children. From the data
ascertained in 2016-17, 288 children were admitted to hospitals who are abuse by their parents.
In respect of the other vulnerable group of young women, it was ascertained that the
females who are aged between 18 to 34, faced violence 2.7 times. The data ascertained from the
facts and information presented in 2017 states that the almost half of the women, aged between
15 to 24, has faced sexual abuse.
Older people is also another vulnerable group which faced some kind of domestic
violences in Australia. In 2017-18, more than 10900 calls are made by the older people on elder
abuse helpline across Australia. This includes calls from both female and male. With age, the
number of violence also increased (Wong and et. al., 2015).
The disable people also face violence, it is 1.8 times or normal and most of the violence
comes under the category of physical and sexual Also, it was analysed that 1.7 times such
disabled person faced sexual violence since the age of 15.
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In the case of domestic violence, more women are hospitalised. In 2016 -2017, it was
ascertained that 6300 individuals are the adults who belongs to age group of 15 were
hospitalised, 4600 hospitalisations were done in case of women and 1700 for men. Based on the
comparison of two different years (2014-15 to 2016-2017) of data, it was ascertained that rate of
women who are admitted in hospital was rose by 23%. On the other hand, the rate in same case
of men was stable in nature. The ascertained crime figures shows that in every 9 days 1 women
is killed. In case of men, 1 man is killed in every 29 days by his partner (Family, domestic and
sexual violence in Australia: continuing the national story. 2019).
Psychological impact of domestic violence incidents upon victims
The victims who suffered from any kind of violence also faced the potential
psychological impact of the same over their health and other important aspects of life. These
potentials impacts are such worse in nature that diminish the overall ability of person to cope up
with such feelings which puts the person in trauma. From the analysis of the impact of domestic
violence over victims, is can be ascertain that when some individual face abuse in childhood
then, this will turns out their adulthood more worsen. As the many case of domestic violence is
happened with women. Statistic reveals that changes of abuse is 3 times higher, compared to
depression, in case of women who is pregnant (Caruth, 2016).
There are many problems which are faced by women like depressive disorder, anxiety
disorders, suicidal tendencies and self inflicted injuries.
If women aged 15 or above faces any kind of violence then their mental health condition
can be one of the major contributor behind the occurrence of different type of problems which
resultant in diseases such as depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, suicide and self inflicted
injuries.
The data presented in Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health is on the basis
of the survey which was conducted on more than 57000 women. This study is initially divided
into 3 different cohorts of the women. In 2012, fourth cohort is added in relation to the women
born in between year 1989-95. From the analysis of the women born in 1973-78 who has also
experienced childhood abuse, has reflected the outcome that such incidents results into poor
mental health condition. They faced depression and body pain too. All such victims are required
to have long term treatment from the specialists (Kanel, 2012).
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It is also analysed from the information that a women who faced violence twice is
generally diagnosed with cervical cancer. Data gathered from ALSWH after the comparison in
between the women who suffered violence with the one who does not suffered depicts that the
one who face domestic violence have more chances to be diagnosed with sexually transmitted
infection.
Assessment tools to identify and evaluate specific target group
Assessment tools plays huge role in ascertaining the activities of violence faced by
victim. Young women is the specific target group and these tools are used for analysing violence
against them.
The danger risk assessment tool help in determination of the level of danger faced by
abused person to being killed by their own partner. It includes two instruments named as
calender and 20 item scoring instrument. The function of calender here is to assess the severity
and frequency of abuse. This will further help to raise awareness of victim which results in
minimisation of the abuse. The another aspect of this tool is 20 item scoring instrument which
helps to find out the weight-age of the score of yes or no in respect of the risk factors which are
associated with partner (Mancini and Bananno, 2006).
MOSAIC is a tool used to identify the possibility of domestic violence. This will help to
provide the weight to different series of question on the basis of their importance. It compares
the situation with other similar situation which turns into worsen. After answering all the
questions, a detailed report clarify the situation on the basis of rating I.e. on the scale of 1 to 10.
Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment is used by professionals for the purpose of
calculating how a man who already assault his female partner is ranked in amongst other
perpetrators with respect to the likelihood that there are chances of further assault of female
partner in future. This includes 13 items which scored in between 0 to 1. The total score is
calculated by adding all the available scores, answer is presented in percentage form which
shows the possibility of assault getting attention of police (Domestic Violence Assessment Tools.
2019).
Counselling approaches for the appropriateness of the target group
It is must to adopt counselling approaches for the recovery of the victims of violence.
General psychological counselling and specific counselling are two effective approaches which
can be used for recovery purpose.
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General psychological counselling help to recover from anxiety, depression and sleeping
difficulties. Generally, six weeks of counselling is short and does not properly help in recovering
from various negative affects of domestic violence. The specialists provide this counselling are
not expert in nature to handle the case of domestic violence but, help to recover from such
specific extent to its outcome like depression and anxiety (Dyregrov and Regel, 2012).
Specialist counselling is effective in nature because it is developed to recover from the
negative impact of domestic violence, abuse and trauma. This type of counselling have huge
importance in comparison to the general one and helps an individual to recover from the past
experiences, flashbacks and nightmares. Also, this will aid the patients to recover from the
severe panic attacks (Counselling approaches. 2019).
CONCLUSION
It has been concluded from the above report that violence is activity which have its
presence in all over the world. Domestic violence is one of the type which is included under the
overall category of ''violence''. This includes the abusive activities happened either with children,
women, elder people, disable person etc. These activities have huge negative impact over the life
of an individual in comparison to the normal one. Abuse and violence is considered as the reason
behind the creation of the situation of trauma. There are large number of negative impacts of
domestic violence which includes depression, anxiety and cervical cancer. Assessment tools
have huge importance in ascertaining that whether violence activities persist within specific
group or not. Counselling is the method or approach which helps to overcome from the negative
impact of any kind of trauma faced by victim.
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