Walden University
SOCW 6111: Advanced Social Work Practice I
Wk 4: Trauma and Adolescent Development
Post an assessment of the trauma the adolescent has experienced and how that may impact their
development.
Tiffani experienced abuse including physical, emotional, and sexual during her childhood and adolescent
years. ( Walden University, 2022) She experienced neglect at the hand of her biological parents, there
was a time when Tiffani had to become the primary caregiver for herself and her sister. She also
experienced interpersonal violence from Donald, who in her mind her boyfriend and protector. During
her time of trauma Tiffani navigated thru Erikson’s stages 4 Industry vs. Inferiority and stage 5 Identity
vs. Confusion with no guidance or support. During stage 4 she lacked opportunities to build her
confidence for instance like receiving praise from her parents. In stage 5, she never developed her full
identify appropriate for her age. Instead of developing social relationships with her peers, she took on
the identity of an adult due to her behaviors she exhibited. These adverse childhood experiences that
Tiffani went thru will impact her in negative ways, she may develop appropriate social relationships or
develop a mental health illness like depression or anxiety. According to Levenson (2020), trauma
disrupts neurological, and social development, contributes to emotional dysregulation, and alters one’s
sense of self and identity, resulting in maladaptive coping and interactions habits.
Tiffani, a 16-year-old girl, was recently detained for engaging in prostitution and mandated to report to
teen program for adolescent victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Tiffani stated that she
had a good family life until she was 8 years old, at which point she started to notice changes in her
home's surroundings, such as cleanliness. The home dynamic had evolved so significantly that she began
cooking and cleaning herself. Tiffani witnessed fighting, drug and alcohol abuse by her parents and
uncles. Throughout her adolescent life, her father would groom her by asking her to dance for her
uncles. This would ultimately lead to her uncle spilling alcohol on her one night when he parents away
and sexually harassing her for years to come. For the sake of protecting her sister from the similar
exploitation, she kept the truth from everyone. At the age of 14, after being sexually assaulted by her
uncle for years, Tiffani would run away and find Donald, who gave her a "safe refuge." Tiffany had no
idea that Donald would exploit her naivete and force her into prostitution. Tiffani did object, but she was
threatened with abuse and told he would have to harm her sister if she didn't comply.
. The trauma Tiffani witnessed and endured between the ages of 8 and 16 will always have an impact on
her growth as a woman. As a result of her traumatic history, Tiffani is very likely to have trust issues with
everyone she meets, tend to please people, and have a submissive or dependent personality.
Identify the areas that should be addressed in an intervention based on their developmental stage.
As Brandell's (2020) research shows, adolescence is a time when people undergo a
lot of change. As a result of the rapid rewiring in the brain's neurobiology, many of
these changes are preparing the individual to become independent and
autonomous in the world (Brandell, 2020) Tiffani's neurobiological and psychological
development would be the primary focus the planned intervention. When working
with Tiffani I would address her identity by reflecting on her experiences,