Date of Award
5-2022
Document Type
Project
Degree Name
Master of Social Work
Department
School of Social Work
First Reader/Committee Chair
Sapozhnikov, Brooklyn
Abstract
This research study explored intergenerational trauma and self-assessed competency levels of social workers who serve clients experiencing possible intergenerational trauma. Intergenerational trauma is a wide-spread issue, as it affects over a quarter of children and over half of adults in the United States. Intergenerational trauma, though affecting many clients, is not often discussed, and many mental health professionals are either uninformed on this topic or not interested. This study explored social workers’ self-assessed general knowledge of intergenerational trauma, training on intergenerational trauma, and whether they have knowledge of interventions or techniques tailored to working with families and individuals with possible intergenerational trauma. This study was carried out via survey questionnaire. The data was analyzed using statistical program, SPSS. Variables including social workers’ licensure as an LCSW, personal history of intergenerational trauma, and level of experience in the field of social work were studied. It was found that social workers generally have higher self-assessed levels of competency in serving those who have experienced intergenerational trauma. The levels of preparedness appear to be more so related to levels of personal experience, as questions measuring clinical training, supervision, and role play in this subject area yielded a relative number of participants denying their experience in these areas. This is important for those within social service organizations to acknowledge that this topic deserves further exploration.
Recommended Citation
Gandelman, Geneva, "SOCIAL WORKERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND PREPAREDNESS IN SERVING CLIENTS WITH EXPERIENCE OF INTERGENERATIONAL TRAUMA" (2022). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 1382.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/1382