Some people have theorized that trauma, one way or another, underly most (some even say all) mental health disorders. While it may be difficult to really come up with just one working definition of what trauma is and what events qualify as traumatic, there still has been a growing amount of research that pinpoints what impacts traumatic experiences have on our brains. This will be the focus of this paper.
**Note** For this assignment, the term trauma is referring only to psychological trauma and not physical trauma.
Instructions
Step 1 – Review available studies and research articles that talk about the following:
How traumatic experiences impact our brain.
Variables that may make this impact better or worse (e.g. age of the person when they experienced the trauma, sex, race, or length of the traumatic experience to name just a few).
What role treatment/therapy has on this impact (e.g. medication, electroconvulsive therapy, counseling, hypnosis, EMD, or biofeedback to name a few)? You must only select one treatment/therapy.
*note* you must have at least three peer-reviewed/ academic sources for your paper one each for the three components above. However, you can include additional sources if you so desire. These sources must be published within the past 10 years to be used, unless approval is given by the professor.
Step 2 – Review the paper rubric and organize the paper in accordance with the criteria.
Step 3 – Make sure that you are reviewing your paper afterwards to ensure that there are no typos, grammar errors, or mistakes in formatting.
Rules
This paper will be graded anonymously. You may select to not list your name on the title page.
The paper must be properly formatted in APA 7th edition style, including a cover page (do not include an abstract). Failure to do so could incur a 10% penalty.
The paper should be at least 1,000 words in length, not including title page information, citations, references, or any other non-substantive writing.
College-level writing skills are required. Please make sure you review your paper prior to submission for proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure prior to submitting the paper. Papers will excessive issues with writing mechanics could incur a 20% penalty.
All papers will be submitted through Turn-It-In, which is built into the assignment in Canvas. Do not use quotes (paraphrase information from sources) and do not use A.I. to draft your papers.
Papers that include an excessive similarity score or otherwise indicate plagiarism or the use of A.I. in Turn-It-In will not be accepted. Students are encouraged to review their submission on Turn-It-In by going to their gradebook after submitting the paper and clicking on the colored banner next to this assignment. If it is high, then please resubmit the paper prior to the due date for the assignment (no penalty will be applied as long as the assignment wasn’t already graded and is within the due date).
Remember
If you have any questions/concerns, please reach out to the professor for further help. However, remember that emails are not answered after 5:00 PM on Fridays until the following Monday. Do not wait until the weekend the assignment is due to reach out for help.
Rubric
Paper 3 Rubric
Paper 3 Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroduction
The student should write a full introductory paragraph that is at least 4 or 5 sentences in length. It should include an introduction to the topic of the paper and also integrate any personal viewpoint(s) that the student will use as a theme for the paper.
1.25 pts
Full Marks
All components were met.
0.68 pts
Needs Improvement
At least one of the main components wasn’t present.
0 pts
No Marks
Either no paragraph was present/clearly identified OR one was present, but substantively failed to address more than 1 of the components required.
1.25 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeParagraph 2 – How Trauma Impacts the Brain
The student should clearly outline what impacts trauma has on the anatomical structures and/or physiological functioning of a person’s brain. The student should be able to describe this impact knowledgably and provide their own personal insight into what implications this damage can have based on what they’ve learned thus far in the class.
2.5 pts
Full Marks
All components were met.
1.25 pts
Needs Improvement
At least one of the main components wasn’t present.
0 pts
No Marks
Either no paragraph was present/clearly identified OR one was present, but substantively failed to address more than 1 of the components required.
2.5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeParagraph 3 – Variables that Influence Trauma’s Impact on the Brain.
The student should clearly outline at least one variable that influences the impact of trauma on a person’s brain. This can either be a protective factor or a mitigating factor and can include variables like race, age when trauma was experienced, sex, presence of prior traumatic experiences, socio-economic status among others. The student should be able to clearly mention what influence this variable has on the impacts of the trauma and suggest an explanation as to why this may be the case.
2.5 pts
Full Marks
All components were met.
1.25 pts
Needs Improvement
At least one of the main components wasn’t present.
0 pts
No Marks
Either no paragraph was present/clearly identified OR one was present, but substantively failed to address more than 1 of the components required.
2.5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeParagraph 4 – Treatment/Therapy’s Influence on Trauma and the Brain.
The student should clearly outline what impacts the treatment they selected has on addressing the impact of trauma on the brain. This should clearly address how this treatment impacts the structures/ physiological function mentioned in paragraph 2. The student must select only one treatment/therapy (unless prior approval was given by the instructor). Please refer to Step 1 in the instructions for permissible treatments/therapies.
2.5 pts
Full Marks
All components were met.
1.25 pts
Needs Improvement
At least one of the main components wasn’t present.
0 pts
No Marks
Either no paragraph was present/clearly identified OR one was present, but substantively failed to address more than 1 of the components required.
2.5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeConclusion
The conclusion should be at least 4 or 5 sentences in length and summarize the main ideas mentioned in the paper, as well as the student’s personal viewpoint. The ending should also include mentioning any main takeaways from the assignment like how this information may be used by you in the future.
