Are we reaching the body? : a study of social workers' attitudes on the mind-body connection in trauma treatment

Author

Samuel R. Douglas, Smith College

Publication Date

2012

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Social workers-Attitudes, Mind and body, Psychic trauma-Treatment, Neurobiology, Trauma, Treatment, Mind-body

Abstract

A national sample of 39 social workers currently treating traumatized clients in therapy in the United States responded to an anonymous, online survey designed to gauge their attitudes toward the role of the mind-body connection in trauma treatment and recovery. The study sought to ascertain whether the most recent research in the neurobiology of trauma, and the resulting developments in the theory of trauma treatment, had significantly influenced the approach taken by social workers in clinical settings. The findings suggest that social workers have largely embraced the idea of a mind-body connection in trauma, and are inclined—in theory, if less often in practice—to direct their interventions toward that connection, rather than hewing to more traditionally cognitive or psychodynamic methods.

Language

English

Comments

iii, 55 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2012. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-45)

Recommended Citation

Douglas, Samuel R., "Are we reaching the body? : a study of social workers' attitudes on the mind-body connection in trauma treatment" (2012). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/878