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30 CW360 o Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice • Winter 2013PerspectivesNative Families Impacted by Historical Traumaand the Role of the Child Welfare WorkerMarilyn J. Bruguier Zimmerman, MSW and Patrick Shannon, BSWHistorical trauma is a theory first devised byYellow Horse Brave Heart as “the cumulativeemotional and psychological wounding overthe lifespan and across generations” (2003).The wounds include the loss of ancestralhomelands, religion, language and culture.Most devastating to tribes was the impactof federal assimilation policies that forciblyremoved tens of thousands of children fromtheir families to be warehoused in boardingschools. The boarding school experienceproduced generations of children strippedof their cultural and spiritual traditions. Nothaving these protective influences, manybegan to suffer from mental and substanceabuse disorders, impacting their ability toprovide their children with safe and nurturinghomes. For these parents, this is the entrypoint into the child welfare system.Child welfare in Indian Country is acomplicated amalgam of service providersand systems. The child welfare (CW) workermust understand historical trauma as well asthe unique laws and policies of tribal childwelfare practice. In 1978 Congress passed theIndian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to “protectthe best interests of Indian children and topromote the stability and security of Indiantribes and families” (25 U.S.C. § 1902).Today, state CW workers are mandated toprovide active efforts in service delivery toenrollable Native children. The child’s tribehas the authority to presume legal jurisdictionand ensure every effort is made for kinshipplacement within the tribal community.As a CW worker, I routinely engage intraining and education about the ICWA.Unfortunately, there was a failure to connectthe ICWA’s purpose and the historicalcontext. The severity of maltreatment andcomplexity of issues which impact parents isonly increased by the fact that they are livingin tribal communities that experience theconsequences of generational and historicaltrauma.When I began to understand the impact ofhistory on my clients, I became more presentwith them, more inclined to be empathetic,and more understanding of the challengesto their well-being. The family historiestypically include drug use or unaddressedmental health issues, but I began to look atthe family in the context of their tribe. Whenmy clients begin to understand themselveswithin the framework of their tribal histories,they are able to identify the strengths of theirpeople and the strengths of their families andthemselves.In many of my cases involving Nativechildren, I began not only to address thesafety and permanency needs of the child, butalso to include tribal culture as a fundamentalneed of well-being. My treatment plans beganto include cultural activities like attendingThe CW worker must face many issues when working with tribal childrenand families experiencing historical trauma, but first we must appreciateand honor the resilience of Native families.powwows, connecting them to a tribal elder,and finding the spiritual teachers in theircommunities who provide opportunitiesfor the child and family to participate intheir tribal ceremonies (e.g. smudging,naming ceremonies or sweats). For most ofthe children I’ve served, these rich, culturalexperiences provide a reconnection with theiridentity, their family, and their tribe.I began to consult with tribal cultural andspiritual leaders, who were able to provideme with insight into the tribally specific waysof healing. The consultations allowed me todevelop treatment plans for the parents thatincluded their tribal ceremonies and culture,and the spiritual leaders became referralproviders for the parents. Reconnecting aparent to their culture as well as integratingculture into treatment has been moremeaningful for the parent, and, as a result, theparent is more engaged.Many family members serve in caregiverroles in the child’s life. This makes itnecessary to include the family members tobetter understanding of the child’s history,environment, and resources. One case comesto mind. I removed a six year old Native boyfrom the family home when both parents werearrested. I was unable to find the next of kin,yet I didn’t have to look long. Within thatsame week the child’s extended family reachedout. Through a family group conference, Iwas able to place the child in the care of hisfamily because his relatives came together sothat they each had a role in the care of thechild, but none was overwhelmed with theresponsibility. Not only did this return thechild to his family, but it empowered thefamily to advocate for their young relativesthroughout the remaining life of the case.The CW worker must face many issueswhen working with tribal children andfamilies experiencing historical trauma,but first we must appreciate and honor theresilience of Native families. It is imperativethat CW workers address historical traumain the family using child welfare best practiceand incorporate tribal kinship and culturalways to facilitate healing and lasting changeresulting in the safety, permanency and wellbeingof Native children and their families.Marilyn J. Bruguier Zimmerman,MSW, (Nakota/Dakota) is Director ofthe National Native Children’s TraumaCenter in the Institute for EducationalResearch and Service at the Universityof Montana, funded through theDepartment of Health and HumanServices, Administration for Childrenand Families, Children’s Bureau, Grant#90C01056. She can be reached atMarilyn.zimmerman@mso.umt.edu.Patrick Shannon, BSW, is Child WelfareSpecialist and a Citizen of the BandPotawatomi at the Native Children’sTrauma Center, Institute for EducationalResearch and Service at the Universityof Montana. He can be reached atPatrick.Shannon@mso.umt.edu.
CW360 o Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice • Winter 2013 31Treating Child Traumatic Stress: Bearing Witness to HealingSara Younge PsyD, LPProviding evidenced-based practices,specifically Trauma-Focused CognitiveBehavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), to childrenwith symptoms of traumatic stress has beena primary focus of my clinical work for thepast five years. As all therapists who workwith children know, treating children requiresconsiderable collaboration with their manydifferent systems. As such, one of the mostimportant partnerships is that between thetherapist or mental health system and thechild welfare system.TF-CBT views the caregiver as theprimary agent of change. Part of what I enjoyabout providing TF-CBT to children is thatI get to witness significant improvement notonly within the child but also within thecontext of the parent/child relationship. As atherapist specializing in working with childrenwho have experienced trauma, people oftenask me how I can do this work and stayhealthy. The answer to the question is that Ican do this work because I get to bear witnessto the resilience of these children and theirfamilies. They heal. They get better. Theyreturn to the business of being kids ratherthan being overwhelmed or paralyzed by theirexperiences and symptoms.In the same way that the caregiver/childrelationship is central to healing, strongrelationships between mental health providersand child welfare workers are essential tothe treatment of child traumatic stress. Inmy experience, effective partnerships resultin children being referred by child welfareworkers for trauma-informed assessmentsconsistently and quickly. Trauma-informedassessments provide important information toparents, resource (foster) parents, child welfareworkers, as well as therapists about whetheror not children are experiencing significantsymptoms of traumatic stress and wouldbenefit from an evidenced -based practicesuch as TF-CBT. Another benefit to workingclosely with the child welfare system is that,over time, information is shared that bolstersthe child welfare worker’s ability to considertheir client’s complex needs through a “traumalens.” Additionally, once treatment hasbegun, the child welfare system is a therapist’smost effective and important connectionto the parents and resource parents whoare the primary caregivers for children withsymptoms of traumatic stress.A previous client of mine was placed outof the home after witnessing a horrifyingincident involving the child’s father. A childprotection worker, who I had worked withpreviously, immediately referred the childfor a trauma-informed assessment. Afterthe trauma assessment indicated significantsymptoms of traumatic stress, the childwas enrolled in TF-CBT. I met regularlywith the child’s foster parents to providethem information about trauma and theways in which they could best support thischild’s healing. Likely in part due to therelationship I had with the child welfareworker, I was allowed to meet regularlywith the child’s father to include him in thetreatment even though he did not have legalor physical custody. Throughout the courseof treatment, the young child’s symptomsdecreased significantly in large part due to thechild’s father and foster parents being activeparticipants in TF-CBT. Although this childdid not return to live with the father, childwelfare played an important role in healing byallowing the child’s father to participate.There are several ways that therapistscan create working relationships within thechild welfare system. One of the ways is toparticipate in child protection team meetings.Another place where therapists can offersupport and collaboration around issuesrelated to traumatic stress is to participate infamily planning or placement meetings.Child welfare workers sometimes ask mewhat they can do to best support the childrenand families they work with. Referring allchildren, even those under age five, who haveexperienced or been exposed to scary event(s)for a trauma -informed assessment by trainedtherapists is one of the most important thingsa child welfare worker can do. Additionally,there are excellent resources available to fosterparents and child welfare workers that provideIn the same way that the caregiver/child relationship is central tohealing, strong relationships between mental health providers and childwelfare workers are essential to the treatment of child traumatic stress.information and support related to childtraumatic stress. Those resources described inthis publication and can be found at: www.nctsn.org.Sara Younge, PsyD, LP is a licensedpsychologist at Counseling Servicesof Southern Minnesota. She can bereached at syounge1977@gmail.com.Perspectives
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