PERCEPTION OF TEACHERS ON THE IMPACT OF COUNSELLING IN MANAGING TRAUMATIZED STUDENTS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS (CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN EDO STATE)

CHAPTER ONE:

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Counselors and supervisors who work with traumatized individuals must be aware of both the emotional and behavioral manifestations of trauma as well as the physical consequences of psychological trauma. Integrating complex literature into practical practice, on the other hand, is difficult. Many authors go into greater detail about various aspects of the following content, but the goal of this article is to present information that all counselors working with traumatized clients can understand. A person’s emotional trauma response is complicated and difficult to predict. Individual reactions to trauma are influenced by age, previous trauma exposure, social support, culture, family psychiatric history, and overall emotional functioning (Perry , 2001). Additionally, the emotional and physical proximity to actual danger, as well as the degree of  The length of exposure to trauma, the reaction of others to the trauma, and the source of the trauma (e.g., natural disaster, abuse from a parent, abuse from a stranger, random personal violence, combat, terrorist act) all influence an individual’s response to trauma (Perry , 2001). Some people demonstrate resilience by responding to adversity in a creative and flexible manner. Others, on the other hand, see trauma as a negative, primary defining event in their lives, heralding the beginning of long-term emotional discomfort, maladaptive behavior, and/or relationship dysfunction. Following a stressful event, most people experience transient preoccupation and some involuntary intrusive recollections. According to Harris (2007), the repetitive replaying of painful memories alters the emotional state.

In response to the trauma, there is a steady increase in traumatic content tolerance. While most people recover over time by integrating and accepting the traumatic event through repetition, some develop the hyperarousal and avoidance behaviors associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In these people, the terrible experience is not recognized as part of their history. Rather, each repetition of the memory heightens sensitivity and anguish (Harris, 2007).

Students from all over the country bring their trauma experiences to class every day. Trauma is defined as “an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that an individual perceives as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and has long-term negative effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”

to the Administration for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA, 2014). Traumatic events, also known as unpleasant experiences, are common in children and adolescents of all ages and can include poverty, abuse and neglect, and exposure to community violence (Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, 2013).

Trauma exposure in the classroom has cognitive and psychological consequences, as well as academic and social issues. According to Goodman, Miller, and West-Olatunji (2011), students with traumatic stress histories performed worse on standardized tests and were three times more likely to be placed in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). According to Shonk and Cicchetti, students with a history of abuse perform worse academically (2001). Children who have experienced trauma exhibit a wide range of externalizing and internalizing behaviors.

irritability, violence, withdrawal, authority issues, and hyper arousal, in addition to academic underachievement (National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2008). These habits can begin as early as preschool and last until adulthood (Graham-Bermann, Castor, Miller, & Howell, 2012).

1.2 Problem description

The school promotes itself as a vital venue for mental health intervention for children who exhibit cognitive, psychological, academic, or social consequences of traumatic experiences (Weist, Evans, & Lever, 2003). Despite the fact that school social workers, counselors, and psychologists are frequently viewed as the primary providers of mental health services, research shows that classroom teachers are increasingly held accountable for implementing mental health treatments. Franklin and colleagues discovered (Franklin, Kim, Ryan, Kelly, & 4 Montgomery, 2012) In a comprehensive review of school mental health intervention studies, teachers were actively involved in the delivery of approximately 41% of mental health interventions. Furthermore, teachers were the sole providers of approximately 18% of the treatments included in the study (e.g., drug and alcohol use prevention, anger management, depression, and suicidal behavior interventions) (Franklin et al., 2012). The study’s findings relate to teachers’ general opinions of counselling in managing traumatized children in the classroom; however, there is little research that specifically addresses teachers’ experiences helping traumatized students. In the prior literature, only a few studies addressing teachers’ perceptions of counseling in dealing with trauma in the classroom were found. As a result, there is a requirement to

Examine teachers’ perspectives on the role of counseling in the management of traumatized students in secondary schools.

1.3 The study’s purpose

The study’s primary goal is as follows:

1) To investigate teachers’ perspectives on how counselling aids in the management of traumatized students.

2) To investigate teachers’ perceptions of the impact of trauma on secondary school students’ academic performance.

3) Determine teachers’ perspectives on the difficulties of dealing with traumatized secondary school students.

4) To investigate teachers’ perspectives on the strategies that counselors can employ in dealing with traumatized students.

1.4 Research Issues

The following study questions have been prepared:

1. What are teachers’ perspectives on how counseling aids in the management of traumatized students?

2.

What are teachers’ thoughts on the impact of trauma on secondary school students’ academic performance?

3. What are teachers’ perspectives on the difficulties of dealing with traumatized secondary school students?

4. What are teachers’ thoughts on the strategies that counselors can use to help traumatized students?

1.5 Importance of the research

This study focuses on teachers’ perceptions of the impact of counselling in managing traumatized students in secondary schools; thus, it will benefit the ministry of education by raising awareness of teachers’ perceptions of trauma in the classroom and how it influences a variety of educational and mental health stakeholders, and the impact of such research spans educational policy and practice.

The research will

It will also benefit counselors by exposing them to a technique that counselors can use to help traumatized students.

This study will be important to the academic community because it will add to the existing literature.

1.7 The scope of the research

This study will look at teachers’ perspectives on how counselling can help them manage traumatized students. The study will also look into teachers’ perceptions of the impact of trauma on secondary school students’ academic performance. The study will also look into teachers’ perspectives on the difficulties of dealing with traumatized secondary school students. Finally, the study will look into teachers’ perspectives on the strategies that counselors can use to help traumatized students. As a result, the study will be limited to a few selected schools in

The state of Edo.

1.8 The study’s limitations

A number of factors hampered this study, which are as follows:

As with any other research, there are challenges, such as a lack of accurate materials on the topic under study and an inability to obtain data.

The researcher faced financial constraints in obtaining relevant materials as well as printing and collating questionnaires.

Time constraint: Another constraint is time, which makes it difficult for the researcher to shuttle between writing the research and engaging in other academic work.

 

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