Exploring The Effects of Childhood Trauma and Trauma Systems Therapy: A Multiple Case Study

The purpose of this thesis is to add to the body of research regarding childhood trauma and Trauma Systems Therapy (TST) by using a multiple case study design to address the following two research questions: (1) How does the trauma experienced by an individual, in this case, a child, affect the rest of the family system? (2) How does TST utilize various systems, such as the family, school, and community, to successfully intervene and support a traumatized child? Three families with children who have experienced at least one traumatic event were included, and data was collected using progress notes from home visits, school visits, and collateral contacts across the span of treatment. Emerging themes showed that poverty played a significant role in contributing to the trauma and acted at times as a barrier to treatment. Multigenerational trauma was also a theme across cases that affected the family system. Personal difficulties implementing TST included difficulty moving out of the assessment phase of treatment, cases being incompatible with the model, and issues with establishing partnerships in the community.