The student must then post 2 replies of at 250-300 words. In the replies, students must extend the discussion by analyzing and building upon peers threads, asking relevant questions as needed. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly reference in APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include course texts, other scholarly texts, or peer-reviewed journal articles.
See your manual for when to use italics in journal articles. Also, drop the place of publication in Levers as APA-7 doesn’t do that anymore.
Please respond to the following 2 discussion posts following the instructions above.
1. Brittany O posted:
Stress is the bodys automatic physiological reaction and response to stressors, which are situations and events in a persons life that feels threatening or overwhelming with too many changes happening at once, that can temporarily throw us off and disrupt our normal routine (Chrousos, 2009; Levers, 2022). There are two categories of stress, which are good (acute/eustress) stress, and bad (chronic/distress) stress (Levers, 2022). Good stress is a positive thing because it can help keep people motivated and accountable, whereas bad stress is continual stress that negatively impacts a person eventually leading to health issues if not intervened and managed in time (Branson, 2020; Levers, 2022).
Crises are events and situations that are too threatening or unbearable for a person to experience or witness, and cope from (Levers, 2022). Crises are either natural, or man-made, which makes a person going through the crisis sense danger or threats, and starts initiating the bodys stress response (Branson, 2020; Briere & Scott, 2015). Based on everyones upbringings and various coping and resiliency skills, what is a crisis to one person may not be a crisis for everyone else (Branson, 2020). A one-time event/situation can be a crisis, but if a person encounters this event/situation often it can transition into trauma for them to overcome instead.
Trauma is sexual or physical violence, serious injuries, and/or life-threatening assault, occurring to one person directly, or to a group of people, and can be a single event that occurs, or repeated exposure to the same situation/event (American Psychiatric Association, 2013; American Psychological Association, 2023).
Traumatic stress is like regular stress, in the sense that it is the bodys automatic physiological reaction and response to the stressful event(s) that triggered the person, but traumatic stress also activates psychological responses too (Levers, 2022). Traumatic stress impacts a persons quality of life and ability to function normal, often impacting their mental, emotional, and physical well-being (American Psychological Association, 2023). There are three categories of traumatic stress, which are acute, chronic, and delayed, which all require acknowledgment and therapeutic intervention in order to help a person work through the trauma and their trauma responses in order to find healthier responses and coping skills (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some of the traumatic stress symptoms that therapy would help a person through are nightmares and hyperarousal, emotional numbing, avoidance, dissociation, and intrusive thoughts (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
When creating a therapy plan to help individuals through their stress, trauma, and crises, its important to integrate the Biblical word to them to help them feel like they do not need to shoulder all of these feelings and trauma on their shoulders alone as Peter and Isaiah remind us in the Bible. Peter states, cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you, and Isaiah states, so do not fear for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (ESV, 2001, Isaiah 41:10). Through learning how to rely on God and counselors or Psychological First Aids, a person can start to build their coping and resiliency skills to learn how to navigate the aftermath of their experiences and emotions faced. During traumatic experiences, religious beliefs are usually the first to waver, so to help someone stabilize, or initiate, that core strength can help them feel less helpless and alone through their new journey.
The relationship between these terms is that they all seem to be intermingled and fluid in definition, as each person defines what is a crisis or traumatic situation to them, which isnt necessarily the same for the next person. Stress can ebb and flow through crisis and trauma, and lead to traumatic stress, and decrease back down to normal stress levels again, as people gain various life experiences and coping/regulating skills to handle future situations. The first time I responded to a crisis situation, my heart started racing the moment I got the call, and my hands were sweating as I had to think out the steps of what to say and do to help a sexual assault victim, but after that first initial call and situation, future calls did not have my heart racing and palms sweaty anymore and it became muscle memory of how to immediately step in and assist. Regular stress reactions can easily turn into traumatic stress reactions, so even counselors need counselors to help them regroup.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub.
American Psychological Association. (2023). Trauma. https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma.
Branson, D. C. (2020). Negative outcomes of chronic stress and trauma are not prescriptive: Purposeful change can alter trajectory. In S. G. Taukeni (Ed.), Biopyschosocial Perspectives and Practices for Addressing Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases. IGI Global.
Briere, J., & Scott, C. (2015). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and treatment (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chrousos, G. P. (2009). Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5(7), 374-381, https://www.nature.com/articles/nrendo.2009.106
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
Levers, L. L. (2022). Trauma counseling: Theories and interventions for managing trauma, stress, crisis and disaster. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
2. Dwaynna M Posted:
The terms stress crisis, trauma, and traumatic stress are often terms that are difficult to define as they are interchangeable. Each term is defined differently based on an individuals experiences and perceptions. Multiple variables influence how stress, crisis, trauma, and traumatic experiences are viewed. Variables such as experiences, personality, the ability to cope, culture, religion, gender, and support systems greatly influence how we define stress, crisis, trauma, and traumatic stress. Understanding the human experience and having the ability to look at each term from a holistic perspective plays a critical role in our ability to educate and support clients as they experience stress, crisis, trauma, and traumatic stress.
Levers (2012) stated, Stress is a normal experience which can be both a positive and negative physiological and psychological functioning (Levers, 2012, p. 3). Not all stress leads to crisis, or trauma, or is associated with traumatic experiences. Stress is a result of an individuals perception of an experience, event, or environment. Stress is experienced by everyone and cannot be avoided. Stress becomes chronic when it is experienced regularly. This writer would define stress as a combination of unfamiliar events that produce discomfort and uncertainty due to unfamiliarity. Moving to Texas over a year ago was a positive experience for this writer, but also was a transition that caused stress due to embarking on the journey of the unknown. This writers faith was activated at a higher level. From a biblical standpoint, Hebrews 11:1 NIV (2011) mentions, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (NIV, 2011). Not knowing what was ahead in Texas created stress but having the ability to believe that the father orders our steps and is all-knowing alleviated the stress this writer was experiencing. Stress, in comparison to crisis, trauma, and traumatic experiences, can be managed with coping skills, social support, environmental changes, and resources.
A crisis is viewed as an unstable event or abrupt change that causes danger. Levers (2011) stated, A crisis is an event perceived to pose a significant danger to a persons wellbeing (Levers, 2011, p.3). An example of a crisis could be an individual who wants to commit suicide. This is defined as a crisis due to the individual desiring to put their lives in danger. Mental health professionals define suicide as a crisis that causes imminent danger despite the individuals viewpoints or beliefs. An individual attempting to take their life can be viewed as a crisis and trauma. When an individual goes into crisis, seldomly there is a compaction of stress beyond what can be managed or controlled. During a crisis, an individual may be unable to function. Crisis can be defined in numerous ways as each individuals beliefs of danger varies.
Trauma can be defined as a series of crises and events that have long-lasting impacts on an individuals ability to cope and live through life experiences. The DSM 5 (2013) defines trauma as, The exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence by the witnessing, experiencing, or learning of the event (DSM 5, 2013) (Briere & Scott, 2015, p. 9). This definition of trauma is limiting as it does not acknowledge numerous forms of trauma that are not associated with death, injury, or sexual violence such as homelessness, emotional abuse, mental illness, separation from a loved one not related to death, bullying, poverty, drug use, exploitation, racism, microaggressions, a car accident, criticism, and the loss of self-sufficiency to name a few. This writer views and defines trauma as devastating and heart-wrenching events that affect an individuals ability to find peace mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. Trauma can be viewed as one event or a series of emotionally stressful events. There is a range of trauma, and it cannot be fully defined by a single individual. Trauma also can be experienced throughout our lives. Dr Floyd, Liberty University (2017) stated, Trauma is not a part of the normal human experience and can lead to severe emotional distress. What is considered a normal human experience is often defined differently by every individual.
Traumatic stress is viewed as the response to a traumatic event. A response to a traumatic event can be a flashback, nightmare, avoidance, hypervigilance, aggression, fear, and overall emotional distress. Traumatic stress can impair an individuals ability to function. The impact of traumatic events on an individuals ability to thrive and function has been underdefined and minimized. Traumatic stress can happen after direct or indirect exposure to a traumatic event. Traumatic stress can be treated with therapeutic modalities and interventions. Traumatic stress is a sign that an individual is stuck in their trauma. It is our job to help clients feel safe, empowered, and willing to process through the stress and emotions that are associated with traumatic stress. Traumatic stress can be healed and managed.
Stress, crisis, trauma, and traumatic stress are interrelated in various ways. Trauma, stress, and crisis are subjective events. Multiple individuals can experience the same event and have numerous responses. Each term also exists on a continuum and can be experienced at any age or time. Unmanaged prolonged stress can lead to a crisis and be labeled as traumatic which can lead to traumatic stress. Stress, crisis, and trauma can affect an individuals well-being and be viewed as dangerous. This writer believes it is helpful to consider how each term is used and defined. Having the ability to understand each term helps therapists provide trauma-informed care. The goal of a traumatologist is to treat, understand, and study the nature and origin of stress, crisis, trauma, and traumatic stress.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders,
5th edition.
Briere, J. & Scott, C. (2015). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and
treatment, 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications.
Floyd, J. (2017). Crisis and trauma counseling 4.0: Flash drive, Liberty University. Forest, VA.
Levers, L. (2012). Trauma counseling: Theories and interventions for managing trauma, stress,
crisis, and disaster, 2nd edition. Spring Publishing Company, LLC
The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing
House.
