about covid 19 : Our global community has recently been experiencing a potentially highly traumatizing experience with the pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19). During this time families have been/are faced with many different challenges—including (but not limited to) health, finances, and stability. You may be trying to navigate these challenges yourself.
Additionally, COVID-19 related challenges may be layered upon other vulnerabilities that we’re learning about in this course. For example, in Butte County (sampled in 2014), we have the highest levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s), at 76.5% of our adults reporting one or more ACE; we are double the state average in terms of four or more ACE’s—a crucial “dose” of ACE’s that results in substantially increased risk for many negative outcomes (30.3%; kidsdata.org, 2019). As a community, we’ve also faced several, potentially difficult and frightening events, such as the evacuation and fear about the collapse of the Oroville Dam and the CampFire.
It’s likely that those who were already the most vulnerable are experiencing even greater stressors. Therefore, for this RIP, the focus is incorporating what you have learned about trauma’s effects on the body and brain into a coherent narrative. Please note—the emphasis of this RIP should be on physiology/biology! Try to focus your paper around the body and brain’s responses to fear/stress and how caring relationships (or neglect/abuse/unattuned parenting) impacts the body and brain’s ability to cope and heal.
1. Activity: Provide me a child’s/youth’s story about her/his exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic—this could be completely made up, an amalgamation (i.e., combination) of multiple stories that you may have “heard”, or based on someone who told you something about someone. The point is, you don’t have to find an actual story—the goal is for you to show me THROUGH THE STORY what you’ve learned about how the body and brain absorb trauma. (If the story has truth to it, please be sure to not provide any identifying information).
c. Notes:
i. You can think of yourself as “Mr. or Ms. Perry” writing with your journalist
buddy Ms. Szalavitz. I mean, think of how these authors craft the story of the child while teaching us about the effects of trauma and adverse childhood experiences! I know you’ve all been engaged in this book and now it’s your turn!
ii. While I’m asking you for a story, please note that this is merely to provide you a framework for your discussion about trauma’s effect on the body and brain. THIS should be the bulk of your essay (I know it will be hard to turn down the creative process to focus on these details, but be sure to☺). Within your telling of the experience, weave in what is happening for the child’s body and brain during their fear/stress response.
2. Following your introduction of the child/youth and their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, give me two scenarios (two alternative realities)—
d. Scenario 1: Neglected, Abused, & Further Traumatized: In this section of the paper, show me a reality where the child/youth is not surrounded by a support
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system that is available for sensitive, responsive, or nurturing caregiving and/or support. How does this experience influence and affect the brain and body? What might we expect in terms of outcomes for a child who’s experienced what they have and doesn’t get the support they need? Might there be consequences in multiple aspects of the child’s life (e.g., friendships, health, romantic relationships)? Might there be consequences that influence the child long-term (e.g., heart disease later in life)?
e. Scenario 2: Supported, Nurtured & Cared For: In this portion of the paper, now show me a reality where the child/youth is surrounded by a support system that is sensitive and responsive (you can also think back to our content in the first unit). How does this reality mitigate (i.e., make less impactful) the consequences you identified in the first scenario?
Some final thoughts:
The description of the child’s experience should be relatively brief, but the incorporation of what you’ve learned should be more robust (spend more time talking about course content/concepts and how knowing these things helps you understand how the child was impacted by the experience).
Ensure you’re bringing in different sources and types of documents; don’t forget these points (see above for elaboration in Basic Instructions):Include at least 7 concepts/ideas from course content: bolded and underlined in each RIP
Define/describe these concepts and connect them directly to your thoughts (integrate)
Incorporate at least 5 different specific sources (e.g., van der Kolk C. 4 is one specific
source from Unit Two)
Incorporate 2 different types of sources (i.e., book, article, or video)
Use APA style for in-text citations and include a properly APA formatted “Reference”
page at the end of your essay
Note: Remember, I ask that you deviate from APA a little and include the chapter
number in your references (see Basic Instructions for RIPs above). (return to the top)
Additional Information for RIP #2
Sample ideas for concepts that you might think about how to integrate for this RIP
(Note: this is a VERY limited list)
The fear (stress) response (e.g., fight, flight, freeze; sympathetic, parasympathetic nervous systems)
Dissociation, reliving, depersonalization
Stress-reactivity
Sensitization/desensitization
Interoception
Predictability & safety
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Therapeutic web
Use dependent brain development (“wire together fire together”, “use-it-or-lose-it”)
Adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s)
Regulation/dysregulation
Brain regions/systems such as: pre-frontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, reptilian
brain, limbic system, vagus nerve, etc.
Empathy
Resilience
Agency
Attachment & attunement
Developmental and/or intergenerational trauma
References
(I’m violating an essential component of APA by not starting this on a new page… These are references used in the instructions FYI, not references you need to use for this RIP☺)
Brock, S. E., Nickerson, A., Reeves, M. L., Conolley, C., Jimerson, S., Pesce, R., & Lazzaro, B. (2019). School crisis prevention and intervention: The PREPaRE Model (2nd Ed.). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.