Date of Award

5-2021

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Barragan, Armando

Abstract

Child abuse is often a very traumatic experience that can create long-lasting psychological and emotional effects for some individuals. Social workers often provide treatment services, such as therapy and/or case management services, with the goal of assisting child abuse victims in coping with and overcoming the negative impact of the trauma they’ve experienced. This study evaluates the types of interventions social workers utilize when working with child abuse victims, how the interventions address the resulting trauma of child abuse, which interventions social workers believe are most effective when working with this population, and why those interventions are believed to be most effective. Data was collected for this study using qualitative means via use of interviews conducted via Zoom. The interviews were audio recorded and then transcribed for data analysis. The findings of the study highlight the use of art therapy, journaling, active listening, and talk therapy as the most preferred and effective interventions to utilize when working with child abuse victims. These interventions were noted to be most effective as they are grounded on the principles of safety, trust, client choice, empowerment, and they promote resiliency and use of positive coping mechanisms.

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