Trauma and Abuse in Family Systems Flashcards

Intergenerational trauma is best described as:

Answer: The transmission of trauma-related psychological and biological effects from one generation to the next

Intergenerational trauma refers to how psychological, behavioral, and epigenetic effects of trauma can be transmitted from parents to children across generations.

When a family therapist identifies active domestic violence in a family, the FIRST clinical priority is:

Answer: Assessing for safety and creating a safety plan

Safety assessment and safety planning must always precede any other therapeutic intervention when domestic violence is present, to protect the victim from immediate harm.

The primary clinical use of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score is to:

Answer: Assess cumulative childhood exposure to adversity and associated health risk

The ACE score quantifies cumulative adverse experiences in childhood to estimate associated risk for negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood.

Which family therapy model specifically addresses trauma by focusing on disrupted attachment bonds?

Answer: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

EFT addresses how trauma disrupts attachment bonds in couples and families, working to repair emotional accessibility and responsiveness.

Which statement best defines emotional abuse of a child?

Answer: A persistent pattern of behavior that damages a child's emotional development and sense of self-worth

Emotional abuse is defined by a persistent pattern of behaviors — not isolated incidents — that chronically damage a child's emotional development and self-concept.

Trauma-informed care in family therapy fundamentally requires the therapist to:

Answer: Understand how trauma impacts behavior and create a consistently safe therapeutic environment

Trauma-informed care means integrating knowledge of trauma's widespread impact into all aspects of practice to promote safety and avoid re-traumatization, not specialized trauma processing.

In Herman's phase-based model of trauma treatment, which phase involves directly processing traumatic memories?

Answer: Remembrance and mourning

Herman's second phase — remembrance and mourning — involves working through traumatic memories and grieving losses associated with the trauma, after safety is established.