Question

Charlie is a 14-year-old boy, 5 feet tall and weighing 100 lbs. He had a juvenile criminal history. He was arrested and put in an adult prison for shooting and killing Charlie, his mother’s boyfriend George, who also was a local police officer. George had a history of physically and psychologically abusing Charlie’s mother and enacting physical and psychological trauma on Charlie.

1) analyze the physical and psychological trauma that Charlie experienced.

2) Briefly explain how you would engage and assess him for trauma.

Answer 1

1) Charlie experienced high level of emotional , psychological and physical distress that affect the normal functioning of his life. He and his mother always faces traumatic experiences from his mother's boyfriend which causes a threat to their safety living. In this situation , there is no other family members and charlie didn't get a chance to communicate or share his emotional problems to others. People respond in different ways to distressing events. Charlie witnessed family violence and it can be very upsetting and frightening experiences for him. He reacted to that violence exposure by developing behavioural and emotional problems. Family violence can deeply affect the physical and mental health of a children. There is a chance of becoming violent adolescent due to learned behaviour. This learned behaviour of charlie results in murder of his Mother's boyfriend .

2).Keeping communication with charlie is one of the best method. Seeking or providing help from a health professional is a very good supporting step. For recovery , it is necessary to provide adequate care giving system , access to effective treatments and service systems. Cognitive behavioural therapy can be very useful in this situation. This therapy can replace negative , unhelpful thought and other bad feelings with more positive thinking. Also Group therapy or support groups help the children to recover from adverse conditions .