Problem:
Due to nature of events and symptomatology in trauma work, the first step in assessing a trauma survivor is determining risk of suicide or causing severe harm to others (Briere & Scott, 2025). In case of an immediate traumatic event, therapist also ensures medical stability. Given that therapeutic alliance at that stage might be very limited, an assessment can be done in an unstructured way, by conveying acceptance and empathy, while in case of high risk, other services and family members will be involved to ensure safety (Briere & Scott, 2025). Next step is to determine the overall level of psychological stability, because unstable clients are unable to respond to therapist's inquiries or interventions (Briere & Scott, 2025). This is not a formal assessment but evaluating client's behavior for being too overwhelmed or disorganized to proceed with further actions. If the client is unstable, therapist will first work towards stabilizing the client by reassurance, support, and grounding (Briere & Scott, 2025). Some effective grounding techniques with trauma survivors include adopting a balanced posture and enhancing breathing and sensory capabilities (Invitto & Moselli, 2024). After ensuring safety and reasonable stability, therapist explores trauma exposure and response. Here, there are nuances in how to gather details which clients might feel reluctant to share and a variety of scales to assess the effects of trauma (Briere & Scott, 2025). Which process responses would you pay attention to during the session? References Briere, J. N., & Scott, C. (2025). Need Assignment Help?