Diverse Adolescent & Adult Perspectives on Trauma Prevention & Healing

Abstract: Purpose. For both clinicians and researchers, the purpose of this panel is to shed light on diverse marginalized adolescent and adult perspectives on trauma prevention and healing that have been gained in both research and practice contexts. Populations. Our populations include U.S. marginalized adolescents and adults, with specific foci on diverse marginalized adolescents with complex trauma histories in Oregon and Black female experiencers (aka, survivors) of sexual violence in Michigan. Main Points to Be Covered. Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD, will provide the theoretical and empirical foundation for the panel. First, she will detail betrayal trauma theory and its empirical foundation (Gómez & Freyd, 2017) to understand how the interpersonal context impacts victimization. Next, she will define intersectionality (Collins, 2017), as a Black feminist epistemology for understanding how multiple interlocking oppressions, such as racism, sexism, and nationalism, together impact multiply marginalized individuals’ experience and outcomes of complex trauma. Building from both betrayal trauma theory and intersectionality studies, Gómez will then describe cultural betrayal trauma theory and its evidence base as a way to personify how the broader sociocultural context can impact diverse marginalized people who experience complex trauma (Gómez & Gobin, 2024). Gómez’ final foundational contribution will be regarding dissociation in marginalized populations (Krüger, 2020), identifying DuBois’ concept from his book, The Souls of Black Folk (1903), of double-consciousness as a way of understanding how dissociative fragmentation can stem from the combination of interlocking oppressions and complex trauma. Jeff Todahl, PhD, will build upon this foundation by discussing his research with diverse adolescents in Oregon. In this research, 2,000 adolescents, many of whom have experienced trauma (e.g., 46% reporting sexual violence, 37% reporting 4 or more types of physical violence experienced in childhood) shared their perspectives of promising strategies for trauma prevention. These include the importance of addressing silence and shame related to victimization (Todahl, et al., 2021), improving adult prevention literacy, and explicitly incorporating identity-based trauma, such as being the target of physical violence due to LGB status, into conceptualizations of child maltreatment, trauma, and healing. Finally, Kalimah Johnson, LCSW, will share perspectives on prevention and healing from her work with Black women at the SASHA Center (Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing & Awareness Center), which is a Black woman-led, culturally specific sexual assault healing agency based in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to discussing her Triangulation of Rape Model and Lived Experience Decision Tree, Johnson will share the insights for prevention and healing shared by Black women attendees of healing programs at the SASHA Center, including Healing is Possible and Healing is Lit. As discussant, Gómez will then lead Todahl and Johnson in discussion of adolescent- and adult-specific recommendations for practical prevention and healing strategies. Conclusions. With actionable information that we hope can be useful to both clinicians and researchers, this panel presentation aims to provide scientific and experiential information from both research and practice spheres, sharing insight from diverse adolescents and adults on their perspectives of culturally congruent, strengths-based, and effective approaches to complex trauma prevention and healing.

Citation 1: Collins, P. H. (2017). On violence, intersectionality and transversal politics. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 40, 1460-1473. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2017.1317827

Citation 2 : Gómez, J. M., & Gobin, R. L. (2024). “It will always feel worse because it comes with that added ‘betrayal’”: Intersectionality praxis and Black young women survivors’ perspectives on cultural betrayal trauma theory. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 25(5), 656-673. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2024.238319

Citation 3 : Howard Valdivia, R. L., Ahrens, C. E., & Gómez, J. M. (2023). Violence victimization in Latina/o/x young adults: The multiplicative effects of cultural and high betrayal trauma. Journal of Family Trauma, Child Custody & Child Development, 20(2), 216-238. https://doi.org/10.1080/26904586.2022.2066596

Citation 4: Krüger, C. (2020). Culture, trauma and dissociation: A broadening perspective for our field. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 21(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2020.1675134

Citation 5 : Todahl, J. L., Brown, T., Barkhurst, P., Maxey, V., & Simone, A. (2021). Pathways to child abuse prevention: Seeking and embedding public opinion. Journal of interpersonal violence, 36(17-18), 8538-8558. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519845