Resiliency: I have also learned about the ways in which I am resilient as well as how I can improve my resiliency in the Intro to Abuse course. I discovered that my resiliency score is fairly high at 220, meaning that I am “quite a bit” resilient. The category in which I had the highest level of resiliency with a score of 14 out of 15 possible points is the “Opportunities for Meaningful Participation” section. I think I scored especially highly in this section because I have positive family characteristics and strong community resources.
As implied by the resiliency note, having ood role models, caring and involved teachers, good mentors, stable friendships, parents who provide emotional support and foster self-sufficiency and the expectation that you are to assume responsibility as a child are all things that helped me become more resilient. On the other hand, the area in which I am the least resilient is in the “How do I Receive Caring and Support In My Relationships With Others? category with a score of 21 out of 30 possible points.
Based on the Resiliency note, I believe I scored lower in this category because even hough I have a supportive family and a few close friendships, I do not feel as cared for or valued in my school community, I do not have a faith community and I sometimes have a hard time treating myself with compassion. I plan on increasing my resiliency scores by seeking out groups to join that make me feel cared for and valued.
I will also try to make myself feel like I belong at my school by trying to make more friends, which will also make me more resilient. Finally, I plan to increase my resiliency by developing confidence in how I behave in a variety of social situations. Clearly, I have learned a lot about the ways in which I am resilient as well as the areas of resiliency I can improve upon. This insight into my resiliency will increase my self awareness and make me a better CYC.
Professional Approaches: The Intro to Abuse course has taught me a lot about how to work with abused children, including the skills, traits and professionalism Child and Youth Care practitioners need to demonstrate in order to be successful working with maltreated children. The skills and traits needed to work with abused children include the ability to recognize signs of abuse, separate ourself from the youth’s negative experiences, deal with challenging behaviours, use strong listening and attending skills, be empathetic without being sympathetic and stay calm under pressure.
Recognizing signs of abuse is extremely important because not all children and youth disclose their abuse and some may not even realize that what they are experiencing is abuse. By recognizing that a child is displaying indicators of abuse and reporting it, Child and Youth Care professionals are advocating for their clients in a way that most children and outh are unable to, as well as providing children with a chance to experience a life free of abuse if it can be proven that the children are being abused.
The ability to separate yourself from the youth’s negative experiences and feelings is also vital for Child and Youth Care practitioners because it reduces the chances of burnout and helps create healthy boundaries between the Child and Youth Care practitioner and the client. Additionally, in working with abused children, it is essential that Child and Youth Care practitioners are able to deal with challenging behaviours. Often, maltreated children are unable to communicate and cope in appropriate ways as a result of the abuse, causing them to engage in difficult behaviours as a way to communicate or cope with their emotions.
The listening and attending skills that were taught in the Intro to Counselling course are also important for Child and Youth Care practitioners working with maltreated children because they convey empathy, caring and understanding. Many abused children and youth will not trust people if they do not think they listen to them. Furthermore, the ability to be empathetic without being ympathetic is important because, as we learned in Intro to Counselling, responding with sympathy conveys a sense of superiority and places the focus of the conversation on the Child and Youth Care practitioner instead of on the client.
On the other hand, using empathy sends the message that you care about the client and understand how they feel without actually feeling what the client feels. Finally, staying calm when under pressure or facing crises is important because Child and Youth Care practitioners are often faced with high pressure and crises situations when working with abused children. Remaining calm can help maltreated clients deescalate, but panicking will increase their distress.
Professionalism is an important component of Child and Youth Care practice, particularly when working with abused clients. Aspects of professionalism that are especially important when working with maltreated children include having and using self-care strategies and activities; being aware of and sensitive to clients’ triggers and being attuned to the needs of clients.
Using self-care strategies and activities is an important part of working with abused children and youth ecause it helps prevent Child and Youth Care practitioners from getting overwhelmed or burnt out. Being aware of and sensitive to youth’s triggers is also important because it can help Child and Youth Care practitioners understand a youth’s behaviour or why they reacted to a situation in a certain way.
It also helps Child and Youth Care practitioners minimize client distress by either acknowledging or reducing client’s triggers. Furthermore, being attuned to the needs of clients is important because abused children and youth will not always verbalize hat they need or if something is bothering them. Clearly, this course has taught me and helped me develop the skills, traits and professionalism necessary to be successful when working with abused children. Conclusion: Evidently, I have learned a lot in the Intro to Abuse course.
In studying the different reactions people have to trauma, this course made me aware of how I respond to potentially traumatic events, which is useful in my personal life because it has allowed me to realize how I can better cope with difficult events. The insight into how I respond to traumatic events is lso useful in my professional life because I will likely face difficult and potentially traumatic events in the field and it might help me recognize when a client has been traumatized.
This course has also taught me how abuse influences attachment and the affect my parents had on my self-esteem. My new awareness of how my parents impacted my self-esteem is helpful in my personal life because it allows me to move past it and avoid making the same mistakes with my own children. Additionally, my understanding of how abuse affects bonding and attachment will help me become a better Child and Youth Care professional because now I know some of the challenges these children may face as well as how to help.
I have also learned about the areas in which I am resilient, not as resilient and how to improve my resiliency in the Intro to Abuse course. This insight will help me improve my response to challenges I face in my personal life as well as the field and may help me identify areas in which clients are and are not resilient, why and how to help. Furthermore, the professional approaches I learned in this course will make me better able to work with clients who have experienced abuse.