Sources and Expressions of Resiliency in Trauma Survivors

Book excerpt: Examine the resiliency capacities of traumatized individuals and communities Sources and Expressions of Resiliency in Trauma Survivors provides a framework for understanding how-and why-resiliency is essential to the challenges of post-traumatic recovery. This unique book examines how this framework applies to trauma survivors, treated and untreated, from culturally, politically, and economically diverse backgrounds, using qualitative and quantitative research findings, clinical case reviews, and narrative studies to consider the implications for clinical practice, community intervention, and social change in the wake of violence. Sources and Expressions of Resiliency in Trauma Survivors provides practicing clinicians with new insights into the need for a full continuum of resources for traumatized groups, including: crisis response, individual psychotherapy and group treatment, victim advocacy, community intervention and social change. The book also helps clinicians and researchers become more familiar with theory-driven tools for use in psychological assessment, case formulation, treatment planning and outcome research, as well as for assessing resiliency in diverse groups of treated and untreated trauma survivors, identifying sources of risk and expression of resiliency; and examining how trauma survivors struggle to draw meaning from their experiences. Topics examined in Sources and Expressions of Resiliency in Trauma Survivors include: an ecological understanding of trauma, recovery, and resilience multidimensional trauma recovery and resiliency assessment tools first-person narratives of trauma survivors societal prejudice and psychological trauma expressions of resilience among incarcerated women, victims of childhood sexual abuse, Central American victims of war and political violence, sexually abused adolescent girls in Canadian child protective services, and other populations group therapy individual and social advocacy the history of the Community Crisis Response Team (CCRT) of the Victims of Violence Program and much more. Sources and Expressions of Resiliency in Trauma Survivors is an important professional and academic resource for clinical practitioners, community psychologists, public health practitioners, grass roots community activists, and trauma researchers.