Evaluating Childhood Experiences and Resiliency

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Evaluating Childhood Experiences and Resiliency

As a child, one is bound to go through traumatic events in life. Children and adolescents are the most affected in this regard. The American Psychological Association (2008) noted that a huge number of children and adolescents become exposed to traumatic life events. These include physical abuse, sexual abuse, community, school and domestic violence, motor vehicle accidents, medical trauma, war experiences, suicides, acts of terrorism, and other traumatic losses. Cumulatively, these events have serious negative effects on the mental health of children and adolescents.

I happened to be a victim of traumatic life events. The family, in which I was raised, was marred by domestic violence. My father was a drunkard and often caused chaos after his drinking sprees. He beat us badly each time he returned home and got mad over small mistakes. I sustained wounds each day, which slowed down my academic performance. My concentration in class and other activities were adversely affected because I could only think of the next beatings. Moreover, the pain from the beatings and wounds could hardly allow me pay attention to what I was doing. In short, I was mentally tortured, but knew very little on how to go about it since my parents and those around me were never concerned.

Accordingly, it is safe to argue that children and adolescents, that are mentally healthy, have an array of protective measures around them (Malchiodi & Perry, 2008). As established by research, almost every child and adolescent experiences traumatic life events. However, the manner in which the problem is attended to distinguishes between mentally healthy and unhealthy children and adolescents. In my case, education efforts by school counselors helped me cope with the situation. The counselors taught extensively about reactions to trauma, and how these can help me and those around me, including my parents, fellow students, and community. Such teachings helped me avoid possible traumatic events. For instance, I always stayed away from my father’s presence until he had calmed down or slept. In addition, I avoided the mistakes that drove my father mad at me. I also opened up to my teachers, who called my parents for dialogue on the matter.

References

American Psychological Association (2008). Children and trauma: Update for Mental Health

Professionals. Retrieved from  HYPERLINK “http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/update.pdf” t “_blank” http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/update.pdf

Malchiodi, C. A. & Perry, B. (2008). Creative interventions with traumatized children, First

Edition. New York: The Guilford Press