Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn

Week 13 is a synchronous week with class on Saturday (11/22/25). The content is focused on trauma theory. Understanding trauma and its impact, as well as learning about trauma-focused treatment models, is essential. This can help lay the groundwork for supporting clients with a history of adverse events. There are forums to relate to the readings, to explore the DSM and trauma-related disorders, to share a creative depiction of attachment, and to explore and share more about trauma-focused treatments. During the in-person session, we will TBD.

Some of the learning objectives for this week include

• Be able to define trauma and understand some of the types of trauma
• Develop an overview understanding of diagnoses that trauma- and stressor-related
• To be able to articulate what trauma-focused treatment looks like

Unit Assignments

Content

• Cooper and Granucci Lesser (2022) Chapter 12 - Trauma Theory
• Engage with content in forums

W-13 A-01: Asynchronous Participation and Engagement

Last year, we did this session asynchronously. I’m keeping all six forums so people have more choices in what to engage in, but you don’t have to make replies in all of the forums. The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and provide meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are six forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 3 replies across any of the forums. These forums include the following:

• The forum Chapter 12 Reflection Questions focuses on exploring trauma theory by reflecting on prompts provided in the textbook. These questions examine topics like the impact of traumatic memory, intergenerational trauma, and therapeutic models in case examples like Beth and Lucy.
• The forum Exploring the Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders invites you to examine this section of the DSM-5-TR. Students can relate their learning to one of the prompts, including describing the criteria, considering similarities and differences between diagnoses, or reflecting on the context of these diagnoses.
• Creativity and making things are sometimes of interest to students. In the forum Create a Poster or Infographic about Causes and Impact of Attachment Trauma provides a space to develop a graphical representation of causes and impacts of attachment trauma. The textbook provides an example of a practitioner using mentalization-based treatment, and the forum Skills Used in Mentalization-Based Treatment asks students to explore further applications of this therapeutic approach.
• The forum Exploring Trauma and Resilience in Media and Literature asks to explore some of the resources provided this week and share about your findings.
• The forum Deeper Dive into Trauma-Focused Treatments encourages you to explore trauma-focused treatment interventions discussed in the textbook. Research one or more approaches, such as EMDR, TF-CBT, or Internal Family Systems Theory, and share details about the techniques, training requirements, or practical applications of the methods in trauma treatment.

A-03 Chapter Reading Quizzes

You have a reading quiz, W-13 Reading Quiz for Cooper and Granucci Lesser (2022) Chapter 12 which is due Saturday 11/22, 8:00 AM.

Unit Resources

Please bring your DSM to class, I’m planning on doing an activity using it. Consider engaging in the forum about the trauma- and stress- related diagnoses as it will be good preparation for the session. I also plan to talk about vicarious trauma. SAMHSA has a good paper that can act as a primer to the subject Understanding Compassion Fatigue.

One of the forums asks to explore media and literature related to trauma. You could start by picking one of the 56 podcast episodes that fit in the category of Trauma and Trauma-informed Care. There are many other great resources as well that discuss trauma and its impact. Consider SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach or the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

While it goes beyond the scope of this week’s assignment, a book that I highly recommend for developing a deeper understanding of trauma is The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD..

You can listen to a podcast episode for this week’s reading Chapter 12: Trauma Theory, or see the entire series Podcast Series.

I’ll post my Slides here as we get closer to class

The Lecture Videos tab in the MyHeritage course is where you will be able to find class recordings. The video this week is at [Fall 2025 SOWK 581 Week 13]().

To-Do List

• Attend class and bring your copy of the DSM
• Read chapter 12 in the textbook and do the quiz
• Complete three replies across any of the forums
• Engage with at least one of the resources provided