Working with Crisis and Trauma

This unit provides students with a theoretical overview to and discusses the practical applications of working with crisis and trauma. It provides a range of models to work with issues arising from crisis and trauma and also ways of assessing clients facing these issues. It explores a range of issues that may present in counselling and discusses ways to respond to them.

Learning Outcomes

• Differentiate between crisis and trauma
• Critique models of managing crisis and trauma situations
• Identify and discuss common issues for individuals directly and indirectly affected by crisis and trauma situations
• Assess behavioural, cognitive, and affective responses to crisis and trauma
• Produce an integrative theoretical framework for working with clients in crisis and trauma
• Identify and monitor the legal and ethical issues involved in working with clients in crisis and trauma

Content Areas

• General Concepts of Crisis and Trauma Events
• The Crisis and Trauma Worker
• Types of Crisis and Trauma
• Assessment Frameworks for Crisis and Trauma
• Impact of Crisis and Trauma on Adults
• Impact of Crisis and Trauma on Children and Adolescents
• Strategies to Manage the Impact of Trauma
• Mental Health Issues arising from Crisis and Trauma
• Application of Models to Specific Situations: Breakdown of Relationships
• Application of Models to Specific Situations: Life Threatening or Severe Accident or Illness
• Application of Models to Specific Situations: Suicide
• Developing a Model for Working with Crisis and Trauma

Unit Duration and Workload

This unit involves a total of 36 hours of face to face delivery or self-directed study including educator contact in flexible delivery modes, generating a further 120 hours of self-study per unit including research and related study activities, including assessment. This translates as 13 hours per week for the unit.