Effects of Trauma on Children: Care, Policy, and Social Justice
This paper examines the effects of trauma on children through multiple lenses, drawing on the short film "ReMoved" and Perry and Szalavitz's case studies. Part One analyzes the fight/flight/freeze responses experienced by Zoe, a child in foster care, and critiques how well-meaning adults inadvertently replicated harmful behaviors. It evaluates failures in trauma-informed care and the misuse of medication in lieu of therapeutic intervention. Part Two explores dissociative responses through Amber's case and reflects on key lessons from the literature. Part Three addresses social work's role in policy practice and client advocacy. Part Four presents a social justice analysis of racial discrimination's impact on youth of color, proposes educational equity strategies, and outlines an evaluation framework for implementation.
- Fight, Flight, and Freeze: Zoe's Trauma Triggers: Trauma triggers driving Zoe's stress responses
- Adults Re-enacting Harm: Missed Opportunities for Safety: How caregivers unknowingly mimicked abusive behaviors
- Trauma-Informed Care: Principles and Failures: Where trauma-informed care succeeded and failed for Zoe
- Diagnosis, Medication, and Misreading Trauma Symptoms: Misuse of medication instead of trauma therapy
- Dissociative Responses and Reflections on Trauma Practice: Amber's case and lessons from clinical readings
- Social Work, Policy Practice, and Client Voice: Social work advocacy and amplifying client voices
- Social Justice Analysis: Racial Discrimination and Educational Equity: Racial inequity strategies and evaluation frameworks
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds abstract trauma concepts in concrete case examples drawn from both the "ReMoved" film series and Perry and Szalavitz's clinical narratives, making theoretical content accessible and applied.
- Each section moves logically from identification of a problem (e.g., missed trauma-informed care) to explanation of consequences and recommended alternatives, demonstrating sound analytical structure.
- The social justice analysis in Part Four is notably specific, connecting systemic racial discrimination to measurable educational outcomes and proposing a concrete, evaluable strategy with KPIs.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper effectively uses case-based reasoning to bridge clinical theory and practice. By analyzing Zoe's and Amber's cases against established frameworks—such as the NCTSN's 12 Core Concepts and trauma-informed care principles—the author demonstrates how theoretical knowledge should be applied in real-world social work and therapeutic settings. This technique is particularly useful for applied health and social science writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into four clearly labeled parts, each addressing a distinct dimension of trauma: clinical (Parts 1–2), reflective (Part 2), policy-oriented (Part 3), and social justice-focused (Part 4). Within each part, numbered questions structure the analysis, making the paper easy to navigate. The conclusion of Part 4 provides an evaluation framework, giving the paper a practical, action-oriented finish. Total length and citation density suggest an undergraduate-to-graduate level course assignment in social work or counseling.
Fight, Flight, and Freeze: Zoe's Trauma Triggers
The fight/flight/freeze response was triggered in Zoe by memories of her mother being beaten by her father, by missing her brother, and by the trauma she had suffered at home. Zoe experienced and witnessed her mother being beaten by her father on numerous occasions, and when she tried to intervene, her father would turn on her. For example, in the first part of ReMoved, her father throws the book she is holding and chases her out of the house, then grabs her and carries her back inside (Matanick, 2014, March 11). The recollection of such memories is deeply traumatic for a child, and it activates the fight/flight/freeze response. When Zoe was separated from her brother, it affected her emotionally, and she never learned how to process those feelings. Her body was responding in ways she did not understand. She knew she was hurting, and being away from her brother felt unbearable.
The fight response that ultimately led to her being taken to a therapist was triggered by a photograph of herself and her brother hung on her school locker. The picture reminded her of her brother and of the life she would never have with him again. Many things in her present life trigger memories of the trauma she suffered. For example, when her foster caregiver gives her a pink dress, it triggers memories of home, and she responds by fighting — not physically, but by screaming and shouting as her way of expressing the pain (Matanick, 2015, June 14). Memories of witnessing her mother being beaten by her father are triggers she carries with her every day, propelling her to respond by fighting, running away, or freezing.
Adults Re-enacting Harm: Missed Opportunities for Safety
The adults who removed Zoe from her abusive home were trying to help her, but they did so in harmful ways. When her father was arrested, Zoe ran away and was chased by one of the adults, who, upon catching up with her, treated her in the same manner her father had — grabbing her and dragging her back to her house, mimicking the very behaviors she was being rescued from (Matanick, 2014, March 11). When placed in her first foster home, the couple screamed at her, roughed her up, and punished her for eating fruit from the garden. Zoe was treated like a stranger and an unwanted child. Though the couple's intentions may have been good, their behaviors mirrored the mistreatment she had experienced at home.
The Child Protective Services (CPS) officers similarly failed to understand her need for proper guidance and trauma reduction. They treated her in a manner that echoed her parents' behavior — she was never allowed to speak or make decisions for herself (Matanick, 2015, June 14). The decision to allow Zoe's brother to be adopted without her knowledge mimicked the same denial of autonomy she had suffered at home. Instead of allowing Zoe to say goodbye to her brother, the adults removed him without telling her, believing this would be easier. However, it triggered memories of her past, where she was denied any voice and forced to comply with adult decisions. In court as well, the determination of where Zoe would live was made without her input. She had no say in what was happening in her own life.
Trauma-Informed Care: Principles and Failures
Trauma-informed care recognizes trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma plays in a person's life. For Zoe, all the adults who handled her failed to recognize that she was traumatized and continued to traumatize her further. From the moment she was removed from her home and separated from her brother, it should have been assumed that she had a history of trauma and that trauma-informed care needed to be initiated. Building trust and transparency is a core principle of this approach (Allen et al., 2020). It is vital to establish trust with a client and to inform them about what is happening so they can process the information. Trauma-informed care was not provided for Zoe when she was first separated from her brother, nor when her brother was adopted. In the second instance, Zoe knew her brother would be adopted, but no one was willing to provide appropriate information. She found out after it had already happened, which triggered her trauma again (Matanick, 2015, June 14).
According to Allen et al. (2020), empowering the client to process and address the trauma they have undergone is vital for overcoming or managing trauma symptoms. The failure to recognize Zoe's traumatization while she was living with her parents prevented the adults who later cared for her from recognizing the need to empower her. Zoe should have been taken to a therapist immediately after being removed from her home and encouraged to share her story. Through therapy, she could have learned about the options available to her and her brother, allowing her to better process the situation. Instead, after her brother was adopted and she had a breakdown at school, Zoe was taken to a therapist who recommended medication rather than trauma-informed therapy.
References
Allen, B., Riden, E., & Shenk, C. E. (2020). Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Youth: Tradition and Innovation (pp. 91–108). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0700-8_5
Bent-Goodley, T. B., & Hopps, J. G. (2017). Social justice and civil rights: A call to action for social work. Social Work, 62(1), 5–8.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. (2022). BBSA. https://www.bbbs.org/
Bloome, D., Dyer, S., & Zhou, X. (2018). Educational inequality, educational expansion, and intergenerational income persistence in the United States. American Sociological Review, 83(6), 1215–1253.
Johnson, V., Ellis, R. S., & Hutcherson, V. (2020). Evaluating a strategy for implementation and sustainability of school-based health centers in 3 disparate communities. Journal of School Health, 90(4), 286–294.
Matanick, N. (2014, March 11). ReMoved [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOeQUwdAjE0
Matanick, N. (2015, June 14). Remember My Story — ReMoved Part 2 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1fGmEa6WnY&t=51s
NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma Task Force. (2012). The 12 Core Concepts for Understanding Traumatic Stress Responses in Children and Families: Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma. UCLA–Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2017). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrist's notebook — What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing. Hachette UK.
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