Date of Defense
4-22-2022
Date of Graduation
4-2022
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Amy Naugle
Second Advisor
Tabitha DiBacco
Third Advisor
Cassandra Dukes
Abstract
Every year, an estimated 10 million people experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States (Huecker et al., 2021). The long-term implications of surviving IPV can be debilitating and limited community resources influence the likeliness of physical and psychological recovery. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a set of practices that may produce improvements in the quality of life for IPV survivors. There are a variety of definitions of TIC and empowerment, which may serve as a barrier to implementing these practices. The present study examined employee and volunteer perceptions of trauma-informed practices and empowerment at a domestic violence agency. The four most commonly identified themes of TIC were awareness of the impacts of trauma, avoiding re-traumatizing, being understanding, and providing individualized services. Common themes identified in empowerment included the program being strengths-based, promoting autonomy, and providing choices. Descriptive analyses indicated the agency was implement these practices some of the time, indicating opportunity for improved consistency. Future directions of research on TIC and empowerment should emphasize the operationalization of both practices and individualizing improvement at the agency level to increase staff consistency.
Recommended Citation
Alderman, Kailyn, "Perceptions of Trauma-Informed Care in an Intimate Partner Violence Resource Center" (2022). Honors Theses. 3541.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3541
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Open Access
Defense Presentation