Counseling approaches for victims of human trafficking - Research Paper Example

Final Research Project: Topic Introduction Counseling Approaches for Victims of Human Trafficking Due Date Most of us in the United States believe that the idea of slavery, the physical forcing of human beings to do as others please, no longer exists. People being bought and sold is a thing of history in the minds of the general populace. For that reason it can be quite shocking to discover that the slave trade is still very much alive and there are individuals actively exchanging human lives for profit.

Human Trafficking is an extremely lucrative industry. People are bought, kidnapped, or tricked into servitude, either for forced labor or the sex industry. The victims of human trafficking suffer a great deal of physical, emotional, mental, and, very often, sexual abuses, the effects of which can continue to be experienced well after they have been liberated from their captors. Because many victims of human trafficking suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which requires longer periods of treatment than may be offered or is available to them, they do not always have those needs met.

(Williamson, Dutch & Clawson, 2010) The traditional approach to treating PTSD in victims of human trafficking is through Cognitive-Behavior therapy. This particular therapy of all the potential modalities has proven the most effective. Cognitive-Behavior therapy (CBT) was developed by Aaron T. Beck, in the 1960s, by combining the therapeutic approaches of, both, Cognitive therapy, a term coined by Ulric Neisser, and the Behaviorist approaches of Watson and Skinner. Beck felt that the two therapies united would be better suited to help address an individual’s dysfunctional or damaged emotions, behaviors, and responses through goal oriented exercises and tasks.

The Cognitive-Behavioral approach has great success in treating PTSD and the symptoms that are associated.(Tull, 2012) There are several different approaches to the Cognitive-Behavior perspective that is, generally, applied to sufferers of PTSD; however, only two are specifically attempted in cases of human trafficking. The Exposure therapy, which focuses on forcing individuals to be “exposed” to the very things that trigger their anxieties, fears, reactions, allowing them to learn to react differently to them.

The second is the Stress-Inoculation training, which focuses on preventing potential stress and anxiety by helping an individual recognize the “triggers” that cause a negative response. This helps them to indentify the stressors and begin “coping mechanisms,” ideally, helping them prevent the negative response to begin with.(Tull, 2012) Studies on victims of human trafficking have shown that those that receive PTSD counseling found adapting to or reintegrating into society was less difficult; however, without the benefit of counseling the outcome is full of many difficulties, continuing emotional issues, and an inability to adapt.

(Clawson, Salomon & Goldblatt Grace, 2007) As stated earlier, not all victims are offered the counseling that such a large percentage will likely need. There are three contributions to this occurrence. The first, as in the case of international trafficking victims, language barriers and cultural misunderstandings can lead to unmet mental health needs. The next contributor is the fact the victims of human trafficking, having possibly known no other lifestyle in a very long time, if ever, may not immediately recognize themselves as a victim; therefore they may not seek any treatments.

Finally, there is a severe lack of funding necessary to offer the in-depth, long term treatment they many may require.(Clawson & Dutch, 2010) The importance of understanding the different modalities of counseling allows counselors and therapists to know what approach is most beneficial therapy for the given individuals. After all, the wrong therapy could, in fact, be quite detrimental and have lasting effects. The studies reviewed in the course of this research have encouraged some very interesting questions.

Why do children appear to adapt and “recover” with greater resilience that their adult counterparts? Is there a distinction between the lengths of needed therapies for one sort of victim over another, for example, a forced laborer versus someone sold into the sex industry? Overall, the research completed will be quite valuable to the future project, as well as, encourage intriguing questions that definitely are worthy of exploring further. References Clawson, H. J., & Dutch, N. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Development. (2010). Addressing the needs of victims of human trafficking: Challenges, barriers, and promising practices.

Retrieved from website: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/humantrafficking/Needs/ib.shtml Clawson, H. J., Salomon, A., & Goldblatt Grace, L. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2007). Treating the hidden wounds: Trauma treatment and mental health recovery for victims of human trafficking. Retrieved from website: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/humantrafficking/Treating/ib.pdf Williamson, E., Dutch, N. M., & Clawson, H. J. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. (2010). Evidence-based mental health treatment for victims of human trafficking.

Retrieved from website: Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatment for Victims of Human Trafficking. Retrieved from website: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/humantrafficking/mentalhealth/index.shtml Tull, M. (2012, November 21). Overview of cognitive behavioral treatments for ptsd . Retrieved from http://ptsd.about.com/od/treatment/a/PTSDtreatments.htm