Students will choose a specific subpopulation of trauma survivors and address interventions for this population. The paper will include a literature review using scholarly references; provide a critical analysis of the intervention, theory related to the intervention, a discussion of how well the intervention addresses diversity issues, and a discussion of implications for social work practice. The paper must be 4-6 pages and written in APA style. Please focus on communicating your ideas concisely yet thoroughly. Write the final paper using the following headings to structure your writing, and include reference pages (not counted in the page total).
Introduction: A brief statement about the focus and purpose of the paper. The introduction should give your reader an understanding of the dimension of trauma you will focus on, and the level of social work intervention you will address.
Literature Review of Interventions: Review the research on your chosen area of trauma from the scholarly literature and develop a thorough evidence-based literature review that provides significant descriptive information about your selected topic. This should include a strong rationale for why the area you have selected is important, illustrated in part by information of the prevalence and consequences of this issue.
Identify the major intervention approaches that are used to treat your area of interest and discuss the evidence available (or lack thereof) to support such approaches. The intervention section should provide a good overview of what the intervention entails and significant attention to the issue of evidence of effectiveness (or lack thereof). Be specific about the outcomes and whether the findings are statistically or clinically significant. Include a discussion of what you are taking away from your research to determine how to address our issue of concern. Cite at least eight (8) sources, four (4) of which should be from peer-reviewed journal articles.
Theory: Identify and describe one or more theoretical perspectives that you found in the literature. The theoretical explanation for an issue has direct implications for the interventions we select. For example, if patriarchy is the cause of violence against women (theory), ultimately interventions need to address patriarchy and the status of women in society. An alternative approach to addressing theory is to focus on the theories behind interventions. For example, if our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world are the theory behind the development of specific trauma symptoms, then an intervention that targets changing beliefs (e.g., cognitive processing therapy) makes sense. Your theory section needs to link to the underlying causes of the issue of concern. Discuss the extent to which the theoretical perspectives are linked to any interventions you discovered in your literature search.
Diversity: Discuss the extent to which the interventions are responsive to the needs of diverse groups of clients and provide any available evidence that support claims of their effectiveness with such groups. Draw this information from the studies you describe. Look at the research samples to gather good demographic information and identify what is missing. Use the broad definition of diversity discussed in class, not just in terms of ethnicity (e.g., age, sex/gender, social class, sexual orientation, disability, immigrant status, religion, etc.). Is there evidence that the intervention is effective across a broad array of trauma survivors.
Implications for Social Work Practice: Include a discussion of what you are taking away from your examination of the literature, how it impacts social work practice in the future and a plan to continue to build your knowledge in this area.
Conclusion: Summarize the findings of your paper. What are your final thoughts on the dimension of trauma and current social work practice? How might your critique strengthen the role of social workers in this area?
