Stephen Coulter

Social work education and political conflict: preparing students to address the needs of victims and survivors of the Troubles in Northern Ireland

This paper reports on the evaluation of a European PEACE III sponsored teaching and learning project that was designed to enable social work students to better understand the needs of victims and survivors of the conflict in Northern Ireland. The paper begins with an introduction to policy, practice and educational contexts before reviewing the literature on social work, conflict and trauma. It also summarises key, innovative pedagogical approaches used in the teaching, including the use of ground rules, teaching teams consisting of lecturer and service user dyads, learning exercises and case studies. The paper then explains the evaluation methodology. This involved two surveys which returned 144 student and 34 practice teacher questionnaires. The findings revealed that students were generally committed to this form of teaching and engagement with victims and survivors of the conflict, although some students reported that their attitudes towards this subject had were not changed. Some students also discussed how the conflict had affected their lives and the lives of families and friends; it is argued that such biographical details are crucial in developing new pedagogical approaches in this area. Practice teachers who supervised some of these students on placement reported general levels of satisfaction with preparedness to work with conflict related situations but were less convinced that organisations were so committed. The paper concludes with a discussion of the study limitations and a recommendation for more robust methods of teaching and evaluation in this area of social work education and practice.

The Impact of Engagement Processes on the First-Appointment Attendance Rate at a Regional Outpatient Psychological Trauma Service.

The inconsistent and contradictory nature of the results of studies that focus on client characteristics as possible explanations for first-appointment non-attendance is referenced and contrasted with the effectiveness of simple agency interventions to increase first-appointment attendance. The Family Trauma Centres remit and pre-study engagement process are described. The perceived idiosyncratic aspects of inviting people suffering from psychological trauma to attend a clinical service are noted as contributory factors in initially tolerating a high first-appointment did-not-attend rate. Three new initial engagement processes are then described and results of their application to 30 referrals in total (10 for each process) are presented. The overwhelming finding is that paying close attention to any of the three initial engagement processes increases first-appointment attendance. Based on these findings, the Family Trauma Centre developed a new initial engagement protocol. The principle that services should pay more attention to their engagement processes than on the characteristics of their client groups when seeking to reduce first-appointment did-not-attend rates is supported.

Much More Than PTSD: Mothers’ Narratives of the Impact of Trauma on Child Survivors and Their Families

This study examined the narratives of ten Caucasian mothers whose children had been impacted by ‘traumatic’ events and referred to a specialist trauma service in N. Ireland. The research question was whether the PTSD construct adequately represented the broad ‘lived’ experience of the impact of trauma on survivors’ wellbeing and their family relationships as articulated by mothers post trauma. Narrative Interviewing methodology was employed and the resulting data inductively organised into an evolving thematic framework. A quantitative analysis of the prevalence of particular themes is presented supplemented by qualitative quotations to illustrate the complexity of reported impact. The major components of the mothers’ narratives included family and relational distress (35.7%), non-pathological individual distress (24.4%), resilience (16.7%) and a prior history of adversity (16.6%). Prior history of adversity was resent in 8 out the 10 cases including a high level of suicide. PTSD symptomatology constituted a small proportion of the narratives (6.6%) and this suggests that the PTSD construct does not adequately represent the broad ‘lived’ experience of the impact of trauma. Although a small and heterogeneous study sample, the findings are sufficiently robust to suggest further investigation is required to understand the phenomenological experience of trauma of child victims/survivors and their families.

Working with a child exposed to community and domestic violence in Northern Ireland: an illustrated case example

The focus of this paper is on the authors multi‐modal therapeutic practice with a 7‐year‐old boy referred to the Family Trauma Centre, following paramilitary assaults on his father. The work also addresses the boys experience of domestic violence. The work is contextualised in terms of the “Peace Process” in Northern Ireland, including the establishment of the Family Trauma Centre as a response to the needs of victims of the Troubles. A rationale for working with children using a multi‐modal approach is presented.

The Applicability of Two Strengths-based Systemic Psychotherapy Models for Young People Following Type 1 Trauma

This paper will consider the inter-relationship of a number of overlapping disciplinary theoretical concepts relevant to a strengths-based orientation, including well-being, salutogenesis, sense of coherence, quality of life and resilience. Psychological trauma will be referenced and the current evidence base for interventions with children and young people outlined and critiqued. The relational impact of trauma on family relationships is emphasised, providing a rationale for systemic psychotherapeutic interventions as part of a holistic approach to managing the effects of trauma. The congruence between second-order systemic psychotherapy models and a strengths-based philosophy is noted, with particular reference to solution-focused brief therapy and narrative therapy, and illustrated; via a description of the process of helping someone move from a victim position to a survivor identity using solution-focused brief therapy, and through a case example applying a narrative therapy approach to a teenage boy who suffered a serious assault. The benefits of a strength-based approach to psychological trauma for the clients and therapists will be summarised and a number of potential pitfalls articulated.

Resilience and Vulnerability in the Midst of Sociopolitical Violence in Northern Ireland: One Family’s Experience of a Paramilitary Style Assault

This article focuses on the experience of one particular family living amid the sociopolitical violence in Northern Ireland to illustrate the impact of a particular traumatic event—a paramilitary assault due to mistaken identity. These attacks are often colloquially referred to as “punishment shootings”or “beatings.” The systemic effect on family relationships and the unfolding therapeutic process are emphasized. A number of emerging themes and issues that have wider applicability are discussed.

Conference reflections: Some practice and practical implications of banning the physical punishment of children through legislation

Abstract This brief paper represents the reflections of a participant at the recent conference ‘The Physical Punishment of Children’ organised jointly by Child Care in Practice and The Office of Law Reform. The participants reflections are related to his roles both as a Family Therapist and as a Guardian ad Litem. The writer largely accepts the academic and moral arguments in respect of making the physical punishment of children a legal offence, so eloquently put by the main speakers. He wishes, however, to draw out some of the practical and practice implications which need to be considered alongside the implementation of such legislative change.