Assignment task: Provide responses to the post below in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question.
- Share an insight from having read your colleague's posting.
- Offer and support an opinion.
- Validate an idea with your own experience.
- Make a suggestion.
- Expand on your colleague's posting.
Post 1:
Trauma and race-based traumatic stress share many similarities but also important distinctions that affect assessment and intervention. Both can result in psychological symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, avoidance, depression, and anxiety. As Foster, Held, and Carter (2022) note, Black social work providers experienced heightened distress during COVID-19, not only due to pandemic-related stressors but also because of ongoing racialized experiences. This demonstrates how trauma and race-based stress overlap in symptom presentation.
However, differences emerge in the source, frequency, and meaning of the stress. Classic trauma is often linked to discrete events that pose immediate threats to safety, such as accidents or assaults. Race-based traumatic stress, in contrast, stems from racism, microaggressions, discrimination, and systemic oppression, which are often chronic, pervasive, and tied to identity (Carter, 2007). For example, a Black clinician who repeatedly encounters microaggressions in supervision may begin to experience anxiety, self-doubt, and avoidance. While these symptoms resemble PTSD, their root cause lies in racialized experiences rather than a singular life-threatening event.
To differentiate between trauma and race-based traumatic stress, clinicians need specific skills. Cultural humility and racial literacy are critical, as they help practitioners recognize how racism and oppression uniquely impact well-being. Contextual assessment skills are also important clinicians must ask not only about discrete events but also about chronic and subtle experiences of racism. Use of validated measures, such as the Race-Based Traumatic Stress Symptom Scale (RBTSSS), alongside standard trauma assessments, provides additional clarity (Carter et al., 2017). Finally, empathy and validation are essential, as clients may minimize or question the legitimacy of their racialized stress. These skills allow practitioners to accurately identify the source of distress and to design interventions that acknowledge both individual trauma and the structural realities of racism. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Carter, R. T. (2007). Racism and psychological and emotional injury: Recognizing and assessing race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychologist, 35(1), 13-105.
Carter, R. T., Kirkinis, K., & Johnson, V. E. (2017). Relationships between trauma symptoms and race-based traumatic stress. Traumatology, 23(2), 82-92.
Foster, C. R., Held, M., & Carter, A. (2022). Assessing the impact of COVID-19 and race-based trauma on the mental health of Black social work providers. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work.
Post 2:
1.) Post a brief description of the similarities and differences between trauma and race-based traumatic stress by referring to one of the specific examples in the Learning Resources.
Trauma and race-based traumatic stress share similarities in that they share symptoms, but are caused by different aspects. "Racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS), refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes" (Mental Health America, n.d.). Trauma can come from anywhere, such as natural disasters, whereas race-based traumatic stress is caused by an individual experiencing hardships after dealing with racism. So while both are traumatic events, one can be caused by anything compared to the other being specifically caused by racism. "In some individuals, prolonged incidents of racism can lead to symptoms like those experienced with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This can look like depression, anger, recurring thoughts of the event, physical reactions (e.g., headaches, chest pains, insomnia), hypervigilance, low self-esteem, and mentally distancing from the traumatic events" (Mental Health America, n.d.).
2.) Explain the skills that are important to help you determine the difference.
"Racial trauma is a severe stress response that is of longer duration and involves multiple symptoms that coping or adaptation could not reduce; in fact, the failure of coping intensifies the reactions and contributes to the severity of the trauma" (Roberson & Carter, 2022). The skills that are important to help determine the differences between trauma and race-based traumatic stress are actively listening to the client, asking probing questions, and listening to see if race has influenced the events. "Previous literature has specified hypervigilance, flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance, suspiciousness, and physical complaints as symptoms of race-based traumatic stress, which may cluster and vary in presentation from person to person, in such a way as to differ from PTSD" (Roberson & Carter, 2022). The main skills needed are to be present with the client to listen for whether the trauma is caused by racial disparities or by general trauma, which can be done through Criterion-Related Profile Analysis (CRPA) (Roberson & Carter, 2022).
References:
Mental Health America (n.d.). Racial trauma.
Roberson, K., & Carter, R. T. (2022). The relationship between race-based traumatic stress and the Trauma Symptom Checklist: Does racial trauma differ in symptom presentation? Traumatology, 28(1), 120-128.