The study aims to examine the relationship between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation in male offenders. It will utilize a qualitative research approach and correlational research design involving 30 participants from two county correctional facilities. Questionnaires will be used to measure experiences of childhood trauma and levels of dissociation. The study expects to find a positive relationship between childhood trauma and dissociation among male offenders, which would indicate the need for trauma-informed care approaches when treating this population.

1. IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
12Implications for Trauma-Informed Care: Adverse
Childhood Trauma and Dissociation in the Lives of Male
Offenders
Takia Owens
South University
CNS 6529 Research and Evaluation
Dr. Dan
3/8/2022
Abstract
Psychological abuse, household dysfunction, neglect, and
physical abuse are examples of adverse childhood trauma.
However, in efforts to support trauma-informed care for male
offenders, the relationship between these adverse childhood
traumatic events and dissociation must be determined. This
study will utilize a qualitative research approach as well as a
correlational research design. The study will include 30
participants drawn from Broad River and Lee county correction
for the study.

2. Introduction
Adverse childhood experiences are traumatic events that occur
in children aged 0 to 18, even before born in my opinion. An
emotional abuse, a household dysfunction, neglect, and a
physical abuse are examples of traumatic events. Adverse
childhood trauma has long-term consequences in an individual's
life, resulting in higher levels of dissociation. This
disassociation is more pronounced in male offenders. These
negative childhood experiences are also one of the factors that
contributed to the crimes committed by these individuals.
However, more research is needed to determine how these
adverse childhood traumas relate to the dissociation in male
offenders.
This relationship will be critical in informing the
provision of trauma-informed care to these offenders. Trauma is
described as a traumatic occurrence that threatens one's or
others' bodily or psychological well-being and causes feelings
of fear, helplessness, or shock (American Psychiatric
Association, 2013; Bloom, 2013). Traumatic events have been a
part of human life since the beginning of time. Severe

3. accidents, violence, personal assaults, or natural disasters could
all be examples. Various historical events illustrate the various
forms of trauma that can occur in human life. These experiences
have resulted in the creation of numerous trauma sources that
have improved human knowledge of trauma. Human beings, on
the other hand, are still subjected to trauma that affects their
emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being.
Physical attack, combat, accidents, and human or natural
disasters have all resulted in males experiencing trauma. Most
men live in diverse cities are affected by violent trauma. The
previous study on this found that gun, violence, and drug crimes
were more rampant among the repeat victims of violence as
compared to those that were accidentally injured (Coope.et-al,
2000). TIC is focused on an increasing understanding of the
adverse effects of psychological trauma.
Trauma-informed care has been shown to enhance
criminal responsiveness to evidence-based cognitive behavioral
treatment, which minimizes criminal potential risks and
supports integrated programming for offenders. Trauma is a
common occurrence in society and among men and women.
Victims could be retraumatized by the service system, affecting
their willingness to join and interact while refocusing on
negative trauma. Childhood trauma, emotional abuse, and
having unmarried parents were all characteristics that
significantly predicted sexual deviance in male offenders.
Child physical maltreatment and substance misuse were
both major predictors of violent sexual behavior. Trauma is
something that almost everyone has experienced at some point
in their lives (Coope.et-al, 2000). Because different people have
varied degrees of psychological, bodily, and mental responses

4. to trauma, the effects of this experience are unique to everyone.
Trauma in the early stages of development makes a person
vulnerable to trauma later in life due to continuous stress and
the development of mental disorders like depression, anxiety,
and personality disorders.
Trauma has an impact on dealing with the physical,
neurological, and psychological symptoms and consequences for
male offenders' early childhood development and separation.
Many offenders were victims of child abuse and family
dysfunction when they were adolescents, and incarcerated
clients have significantly higher rates of poor childhood
experiences. The entire aim of TIC is to include knowledge of
the neurobiological, social, and psychological effects of trauma
into policies, methods, and practices that promote a safe, caring,
and fair service delivery setting.
Review of Literature
Fung et al. (2019) conducted a study to see if there was a link
between negative childhood experiences and dissociation. To
examine the link between adverse childhood experiences and
dissociation, the authors used questionnaires about adverse
childhood experiences and dissociation. The authors assessed
dissociation using the Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire,
whereas the adverse childhood question was used to measure a
history of emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse,
neglect, and household dysfunction (Fung et al., 2019). The
study discovered a connection between dissociation and
traumatic childhood experiences in which participants reported
significant levels of dissociation.

5. To help evaluate the association between childhood traumatic
events and dissociation, Rafiq et al. (2018) did a comprehensive
evaluation of 30 different empirical investigations. The
publications for this study were obtained from the databases
Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO. The researchers discovered a
link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation.
Individuals who were exposed to traumatic events as children
had a higher level of detachment. The researchers also
discovered that dissociations are linked to specific negative
childhood events (Rafiq et al., 2018). The authors found that
people who have had traumatic childhood experiences require
proper therapeutic support to manage and resolve dissociative
symptoms.
Which is defined as an experienced or observed event that
threatens one's physical or mental well-being. As we notice that
some people are not diagnose with mental illness to later on and
that mental illness and trauma concerns are among the most
common challenges that most people face in today's society.
Behavioral, cognitive, and emotional well-being are all part of
mental health. As a result, mental illness is defined as the
condition that affects a person's mood, thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. Anxiety, major bipolar disorder, depression,
psychosis, schizophrenia, and trauma are some of the most
frequent mental diseases. Mental health and trauma issues are
frequently caused by several causes.
A study by Degnan et al. (2022) looked at the link between
childhood interpersonal trauma, negative symptoms, and
psychological mediators. For the investigations, the authors
utilized a total of 240 people who had experienced childhood

6. trauma and attachment dissociation. The findings revealed a
link between childhood trauma and dissociative experiences
among the study's participants.
When providing care using trauma-informed approaches and
strategies, the author suggested that healthcare providers
explore the relationship between dissociation and adverse
childhood events. Rabito et al. (2020) conducted research to
determine the link between childhood trauma and dissociative
symptoms. For their study, the authors used 22 participants and
variables such as age, gender, marital status, and the maturity
level of commencement of the condition.
The Dissociative Experiences Sea, the Somatoform Dissociation
Questionnaire, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were
employed by the researchers. The outcomes of the study reveal
a link between childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms.
The authors suggested that affected individuals employ
cognitive-behavioral therapy to assist them deal with their
dissociation symptoms. Wagner et al. (2021) done extensive
research to evaluate mentalization and dissociation following
traumatic childhood experiences. The Mentalization
Questionnaire, the Essener Trauma Inventory, and the Brief
Symptom Inventory were provided to 77 offenders for the study.
The authors next used the SPSS process tool to
investigate the link between traumatic childhood events and
individual dissociation. The study discovered a link between
severe childhood trauma and increased levels of dissociation
and mentalization in adults (Wagner et al., 2021). Individuals
with low mentalization were linked to worse sadness, anxiety,
somatization, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to
the authors.
Sun et al. (2018) carried out a study to determine whether
dissociation mediates the relationship between childhood trauma

7. and hallucination. The authors administered questionnaires and
carried out interviews on sixty-six participants. Sun et al.
(2018) used clinician-rated measures to evaluate the
relationship between these two factors. The study determined a
positive correlation between childhood trauma and dissociation.
The authors concluded that dissociative symptoms are part of
routine assessment among individuals with a history of
childhood trauma.
Method
Participants
Thirty Individuals will be recruited from different prisons
across Broad River and Lee county correction for the study.
After obtaining all the study's details, informed consent will be
acquired. The study's participants will be chosen using the
stratified sampling approach. Male offenders will be separated
into groups based on their classification. Nonviolent, violent
and, and extremely violent in which following these three
factors. Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics will be the
races studied. Participants will range in age between 20 to 39
years old. They will be separated into ten-year age groups. The
ages of the participants will range from 20 to 29, 30 to 39. The
participants should also have a history of adverse childhood
events and a higher level of dissociation.
Materials
To measure adverse childhood events, the Adverse Childhood
Experiences questionnaire will be administered. The
questionnaire will have ten questions and will be used to
evaluate various types of childhood traumatic events. Physical
abuse, verbal abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse are the traumatic
experiences that will be analyzed using these questionnaires.
The Dissociative Experiences Scale questionnaire is used as the
second piece of research material. Bernstein and Putnam created
this scale to evaluate individual dissociation. The ernis Felt
Sense of Anomaly will be administered as the third measure to

8. assess the subset of dissociative experiences among the
participants of the study.
Design
The primary research will be guided by the qualitative research
approach. Non-numerical data will be collected, analyzed, and
interpreted in this location. The qualitative research technique
will allow researchers to identify and comprehend the
connection between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation
in male criminals' lives. The correlational research design was
adopted in this study. This design will be utilized to investigate
the link between adverse childhood trauma episodes and male
offenders' dissociation. It will assist in the recognition of trends
and patterns in the data collected, as well as providing
information on how trauma-informed care can be provided to
these offenders.
Procedure
The Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire, the
Dissociative Experiences Scale questionnaire, and the Ernis Felt
Sense of Anomaly questionnaire will be administered to the
selected participants. They will be expected to complete the
questionnaires with the assistance of mental health
professionals. The data will be evaluated using content analysis,
which will be applied to identify communication patterns that
have been recorded. Common words, topics, and concepts will
be recognized by the content analysis. It will also enable the
measurement and analysis of the detected topics to determine
their significance and linkages. The relationship analysis
component of the analysis will be used to identify the link
between adverse childhood events and dissociation.
Expected Results
That there is a positive relationship between adverse childhood
trauma and dissociation among male offenders. The study's

9. intended findings are that there is a link between adverse
childhood trauma and dissociation among male criminals. Is it
true that having a traumatic upbringing will have an impact on
your life path? Will you be imprisoned, or will things progress
for the better, or will the childhood trauma continue? When
providing trauma-informed therapy, this intended result
underlines the need of taking traumatic childhood events into
perspective. Will trauma-informed care be useful in treating
male offenders yes it will be useful.
Discussion
Individuals who have had a traumatic childhood are
more likely to commit crimes. Physical abuse, mental abuse,
and neglect are examples of unfavorable childhood traumas.
However, it is important to investigate whether there is a link
between these traumatic childhood events and male criminals.
As we talk about behavior and childhood, we can refer to these
theorists according to Freud's view, the body goes through
numerous psychosexual stages. Psychodynamic theories, on the
other hand, are concerned with the internal forces that drive
people's behavior. Erik Erikson's theory, for example, examines
an individual's development through eight stages of examining
behavioral flaws.
Cognitive theories, on the other hand, highlight that
individuals' attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs shape their
behavioral substantial link exists between adverse childhood
trauma and dissociation, according to a literature evaluation
based on much research. These findings imply that when
treating male criminals, mental health providers should consider
unpleasant childhood experiences. This will enable trauma-
informed care to be provided to this population, ensuring their

10. overall well-being.
Conclusion
The study's research approach is a correlational research
design, which will be utilized to assess the association between
adverse childhood trauma events and male offenders'
dissociation. The study will include 30 individuals who will be
chosen using a stratified sample approach from different prison
institutions in the South Carolina. This approach will ensure
that people of all experiences, such as race and age, are fairly
represented. The study's intended findings are that there is a
link between adverse childhood trauma and dissociation among
males’ offenders.
As stated that the purpose of the planned research is to see if
there is a link between adverse childhood trauma and
dissociation in male criminals. This study's findings will be
critical in informing trauma-informed care for male offenders to
secure their overall well-being. The Adverse Childhood
Experiences questionnaire and the ernis Felt Sense of Anomaly
questionnaire will be used to collect data in a qualitative
manner.
References

11. Altintas, M., & Bilici, M. (2018). Evaluation of childhood
trauma with respect to criminal behavior, dissociative
experiences, adverse family experiences, and psychiatric
backgrounds among prison inmates. Comprehensive
Psychiatry, 82, 100-107.
Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D.,
Whitfield, C. H., Perry, B. D., ... & Giles, W. H. (2006). The
enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in
childhood. European archives of psychiatry and clinical
neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186.
Degnan, A., Berry, K., Humphrey, C., & Bucci, S. (2022). The
role of attachment and dissociation in the relationship between
childhood interpersonal trauma and negative symptoms in
psychosis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.
Fung, H. W., Ross, C. A., Yu, C. K. C., & Lau, E. K. L. (2019).
Adverse childhood experiences and dissociation among Hong
Kong mental health service users. Journal of Trauma &
Dissociation, 20(4), 457-470.
Levenson, J. (2016). Adverse childhood experiences and
subsequent substance abuse in a sample of sexual offenders:
Implications for treatment and prevention. Victims &
Offenders, 11(2), 199-224.
Nanny, J. T., Conrad, E. J., McCloskey, M., & Constants, J. I.
(2015). Criminal behavior and repeat violent trauma. American
Journal of Preventive Medicine, 49(3), 395-
401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.021
Rabito-Alcón, M. F., Baile, J. I., & Vanderlinden, J. (2020).
Child Trauma Experiences and Dissociative Symptoms in
Women with Eating Disorders: Case-Control
Study. Children, 7(12), 274.
Rafiq, S., Campodonico, C., & Varese, F. (2018). The
relationship between childhood adversities and dissociation in
severe mental illness: A meta‐ analytic review. Acta
Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 138(6), 509-525.
Sun, P., Alvarez-Jimenez, M., Simpson, K., Lawrence, K.,

12. Peach, N., & Bendall, S. (2018). Does dissociation mediate the
relationship between childhood trauma and hallucinations,
delusions in first-episode psychosis?. Comprehensive
Psychiatry, 84, 68-74.
Wagner-Skacel, J., Riedl, D., Kampling, H., & Lampe, A.
(2021). Mentalization and Dissociation after Adverse Childhood
Experiences.
2/3/2022
1
Your Research Paper
• Use 8 ½ by 11” white paper, with margins
of 1” (or 1 ¼”)
• Double space EVERYTHING
• Font should be pica 10 pitch or Times
Roman 12 pitch
• Single spaces between sentences

13. • Page numbers in upper right hand corners
How to set up your paper in APA
2/3/2022
2
• Title Page
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Review of Literature
• Method
– Participants
– Apparatus and Measures
– Design
– Procedures
• Expected Results
• Reference Section
Key Elements
Title Page
2/3/2022
3
• One paragraph

14. • 150 – 250 words
• Format
– Purpose of Study
– Participants
– Methods and Materials
– Anticipated results
Abstract
2/3/2022
4
• Sets the stage for the project
• Creates reader interest in the topic
• Establishes the issues or concerns that
leads to the study
• Conveys information about the problem
• Places the study within the larger context
• Reaches out to a specific audience
Introduction
• The primary purpose of a review of
literature is to demonstrate why your study
is necessary.
• What research has been performed by

15. others that relates to your topic
Review of Literature
2/3/2022
5
• Review
– Setting
– Population
– Methods
– Outcomes
• Evaluate
– Relations
– Contradictions
– Gaps
– Inconsistencies
Review and Evaluate
• Corrigan, Rowan, Green, Lundin, River, Uphoff-
Wasowski, White and Kubiak (2002) conducted
two studies examining the causal processes in
contact, fear and rejection. Corrigan et al. posited
two models to account for stigmatizing reactions.
In the first model, labeled personal responsibility,
beliefs about personality responsibility influences
both the level of pity and anger displayed toward
mental patients. Additionally, the variables of pity

16. and anger influence helping behavior. In the
second model, labeled dangerousness, perceived
dangerousness influences fear of mental patients,
which in turn influences the avoidance of the
mentally ill.
An Excerpt from a Review of Literature
2/3/2022
6
• Taken as a whole, it appears that exposing
these myths as myths increases the
acceptance of the mentally ill and that staged
contact with a mentally person to expose
myths has an even more powerful effect.
Caution must be advised, though; Martin et
al.’s (2002) and Alexander and Link’s (2003)
studies and the first study of Corrigan et al.
(2002) were based upon paper and pencil
methodologies. And while Corrigan et al.’s
(2002) second study involved staged Myths
of violence 6 presentations, it was conducted
in a college setting with a college sample.
Another Excerpt from the Same Review
• Participants
– Who will be in your study?
– What population did you use?
– Were there any restrictions in the nature of

17. your participant pool?
Method
2/3/2022
7
• Total number of participants and the number
assigned to each condition
• Major demographic characteristics of the
participants (age, sex, etc.)
• Way the participants were selected
• Was the selection restricted in some way?
– All counseling majors
– Only women
– Only deaf
• How were the participants assigned?
Participant Information
Twenty-seven students from South
University (12 women and 15 men) ranging
in age from 17 to 43 years old, voluntarily
participated in this experiment. There were
9 participants randomly assigned to each of
the three conditions. Informed consent was
obtained from all participants.
Example:

18. 2/3/2022
8
Sixteen undergraduates at South University
(12 males and 4 females) participated in
exchange for partial course credit. All
participants performed in the same way.
Data from 5 subjects who indicated that they
did not learn English before 5 years of age
were excluded from all analyses. No color-
blind subjects were included in any of the
experiments. Informed consent was
obtained from all participants.
Example:
• Apparatus/Materials
– Tells the reader what equipment and tools you
used in your experiment and to acquire the
data
Method
2/3/2022
9
Materials

19. A survey was constructed and used that
contains six simple yes or no questions
dealing with honesty, cheating, stealing, and
not getting caught (see appendix). A
Monopoly game board was used for
demonstrating question one.
Example:
Materials
The Social Phobia Scale was utilized in this study
(see Appendix). It is a questionnaire consisting of 15
items in which the subject is asked to put a
checkmark in the blank in front of any item that is
applied to them in the last six months. It was created
as an assignment in Psychological Statistics and
Measurements class at South University. Internal
reliability is been determined for the scale, and
content and construct validity have been established
as well.
Example:
2/3/2022
10
Materials
A website was created for presenting various
surveys (see appendix). The Keirsey
Temperament Sorter (Keirsey, 1998b) and the
Keirsey Character Sorter (Keirsey, 1998c) were
utilized to measure personality type. Two other

20. surveys developed by the researcher were also
administered: a short demographic survey (see
Appendix) and an assessment of the degree of
domestic violence experienced by each
participant (see appendix). All the surveys were
conducted on the computer with the results
recorded on an answer sheet (see appendix).
Example:
• What type of design did you use?
– Within subjects
• Counterbalancing
– Between subjects
– Quasi-experimental
– Experimental
– Correlational
– Survey/Descriptive
Design
2/3/2022
11
• Variables
– What is your independent variable (s)? How

21. many levels?
– What it is your dependent variable (s)?
• Threats to internal or external validity
– What?
– How you intend to control for them
Design
• Provides the reader with a summary of each step in the
execution of the research
• Blue Print of your data collection process
• Should be sufficiently detailed so that anyone reading your
paper could conduct the study as you intended
• Provides a verbal record telling the reader
– Who
– What
– Where
– When
– Why
– How often
– How much
Procedures

22. 2/3/2022
12
• Instructions to the participants
• Description of the setting
• Description of manipulation of the
independent variable
• How consent was obtained
• How data was collected
Include:
• Restate the issue/problem in counseling
• Summarize the rationale and purpose for
your study
• Summarize your expected results
Summary and Anticipated Results
2/3/2022
13
• Describe the significance of the study for
counseling

23. • Consider including:
– 3-4 reasons the study adds to the scholarly
literature (or)
– 3-4 reasons this study helps to improve
practice
Summary and Anticipated Results
• Required if you cite any sources in your
paper
• Every source cited in your paper must
appear on the reference list, and every
entry in your reference list must be cited in
your paper
• Double spaced!
References
2/3/2022
14
• Keep quotations to a minimum (less than 3
per paper)
• Don’t forget the quotation marks and page
numbers (or paragraph numbers), or you
will be guilty of plagiarism!

24. Warning
• Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th edition)
• Resources available online through South
Library
• Online Writing Lab (Purdue University)
Additional Help and Assistance
Multicultural Foundations Paper
*20% of Grade*
Students will write a history and reflection paper about
themselves. This paper will focus on their historical
background, life experiences, and current identity development.
Students will write about how those factors affect their
worldview and how they engage others in society. Included in
this analysis will be an examination of how this might affect the
counseling relationship. The paper will count for 20% of your
overall grade.
The paper must be typed with a minimum of 8 FULL
pages using double spaced 12-point New Times Roman font.
Papers should be formatted and written in APA style where
possible. Please avoid plagiarism. You may use TurnitIn and
PERRLA for assistance. See the scoring rubric for details on
how submissions will be scored… and use it as a guide in
preparing your paper.

25. Scoring Rubric – Written Assignment – Multicultural
Foundations
Exceptional
5 points
Exceeds Expectations 4 points
Meets Expectations 3 points
Meets Some Expectations 2 points
Meets Minimal Expectations 1 point
Not Done
0 points
Cover Sheet – APA Style
Part 1 - Student’s historical background (family history,
genealogy, background, etc…)
Part 2. - Student’s life experiences (pivotal intercultural and
multicultural experiences and messages)

26. Part 3. - Current stage of identity development (Where are you
according to the popular theories and why?)
Part 4 - How parts 1, 2 and 3 affect your worldview
Part 5 – How parts 1, 2 and 3 may affect how you work with
clients and the counseling relationship
Paper free of mechanical errors (e.g., misspellings, typos, etc.)
and grammatically sound (proper sentence structure)
APA style writing throughout paper.

27. Paper meets minimum length requirements
Reference Sheet(s) – APA Style
Resubmission of coursework from other courses or other
instances of this course, partial or entire assignments, is not
permitted in this course. If your paper is not related to this
specific assignment, you will be given a grade of 0%.
Multicultural Foundations

28. South UniversityTakia
Owens
Dr. Campen02-16-2021
"I can sum up what I've learned about life in three words:
it goes on." This is one of the three quotes I live by, since I
began my paper with it. You might be wondering why. First and
foremost, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Takia M.
Owens. Monique is my name, although I go by Kiki and O. I
was born and raised in Queens, New York. I moved to South
Carolina when I was in sixth grade. I despise having to relocate
with my folks. I'm the only girl in a family of three boys, which
is known as "middle child syndrome," but to rewind a little, I
wished I could stay in New York, but the judge granted my
mother custody. How did a functional drug addict get custody of
their child?
I was a tomboy growing up in a household full of boys.
We couldn't afford too much. We were impoverished, truly
impoverished. Growing up, I always felt like I could not be
myself. I was shy and didn't say much. I didn't know how to
express my feelings. I used to tell my mother that I had a speech
problem. So she would never put me in speech, so I suffer from
it a lot now. I liked school, because I disliked being at home.
Instead of being at home dealing with my family, I usually find
a friend who I stay with. I wasn't really a good student at the
time. I didn't do much at school, but I actually participated in
the yearbook club. I didn't care since I wanted to major in
fashion and that was my passion.
My godmother, who was my only form of assistance, was not
supportive of my plan to attend fashion school. She said she
was going to not help me off. So I went to college and majored
in biology before switching to sociology. My journey, begins
with an examination of how my own life impacts my therapy
experience. I used to think I wasn't gorgeous as a dark
African American woman. When I was younger, I was picked

29. on. Because, as I already indicated, we were impoverished and
my mother was addicted to drugs. When I was younger, my
mother was extremely harsh with me, and I was never told to
love myself. Returning to the black community, we are
traumatized. You might be wondering how I can become a
therapist when I've been through so much trauma. That is an
excellent question. Let's return to the African-American
community. Some black parents, I've noticed, don't know how
to raise their children. They are learning while they raise their
children. The African American community is shown to teach
their children tough love. In the end, this harmed us. As I
grew older, I observed that my mother was more affectionate
toward my brothers than she was toward me. I had no idea how
to deal with my emotions, which had a significant impact on
me, particularly expressing my anger. We all learn from our
mistakes and try to improve. As a result, the transition from
New York to South Carolina was jarring. There were a number
of low-key racist educators. There was a huge diversity in the
north, but when I went to school down here, it was just whites
and blacks. I constantly told myself that when I finished high
school that after I graduated, I never would look back. You
know, life does not really work that way. I wish I could go back
in time and tell myself that life happens and everything will be
fine. I was a people-pleaser who preferred to keep to myself. I
disliked drama and preferred to simply go. Transitioning from
youth to adulthood was a huge change. With little assistance,
transforming into a woman was terrifying. My grandmother
always told me that a lady should never leave the house
undressed, and that, as a black woman, you should never appear
to be an angry black woman. You might be wondering what she
means. It simply portrays black women as more hostile,
aggressive, overbearing, irrational, irritable, and bitter than
white women. So the big question is: how come I can't speak my
mind without seeming so ghetto? She will say you don’t want
people to feel threatened by you. As I previously indicated, I
hoped to pursue a career in fashion and modeling, but life does

30. not always go as planned. At times, I wish I had gone with my
decision and not the basic opinion of others. Which I do have a
hard time dealing with. I take everyone's opinions and always
back out of doing what is best for me. Thinking back, I
should have followed my dreams. Being African American, I
believe, is difficult. We constantly feel as if we're going to be
left behind. I grew raised with a father as well, as I constantly
mention my mother. She was in charge of everything. He didn't
have a lot of say in the matter. My mother is African American
and my father is Jamaican. She does have a slight amount of
Indian blood in her. As I notice in life we encounter a lot of
things in life and don't know how to deal with them.
Growing up as an African American, you're often told to "get
over it" or "things will happen." I don't think mental health was
allowed back then, or whether it was, parents didn't believe
their kids. I often quote, "Everything occurs for a reason," As
thrilling as it was to enter college and meet new people, you
really had no idea how much I struggled with being sociable in
college. This was a major problem for me. I really went to an
HBCU because I needed to feel pretty. I've realized that my
social skills have become dry. How can it be that I'm supposed
being in college for 4 years but I get nervous when I talk to
people or even when a guy speaks? So tell me why I chose to
take public speaking lessons. What was I doing? Then I decided
to join a sorority that I could speak up. I was a broke college
student trying to make it, but on the bright side, I graduated
with honors.
College taught me how to deal with individuals and their
troubles, as well as how to listen instead of talking too much.
Eighty percent of African Americans are traumatized and have
no idea how to deal with it. Simply decide to keep going. As for
me, I just knew I didn't want to be cursed by this generation. I
hated going home, so college felt like home. I've noticed that
some African American mothers dislike their daughters.
Although graduation from college was a major accomplishment,

31. I felt as if I had no plans. I came back home (to the area I said I
would never return) to work at Burger King, in which I have
worked for the past ten years. I was just thinking about how I
have a degree but can't seem to achieve anything with it. I was
depressed and ready to give up. I started my master's program,
but when I became pregnant, I felt ashamed, so I continued my
studies while working two jobs. I didn't have a solid support
system at the time, and there was a lot of negativity. I returned
to school after having the kid, but only for a semester because I
had no one to help me. Having a child with no support is hard.
When all you doing is fussing and crying is really mess up your
mental health. As did not know how to deal with the current
situation. My life was in shambles. I was overeating and just
not there mentally. As life passed, I met some great people who
taught me a lot. After having a child, I noticed that I did
know myself and what was best for me. In the year 2021, I
learned so much about myself which was amazing experience.
Last year, I started school again. I had this supervisor that
pushed me to go back, and I actually learned how to date
myself. You probably like where this heading is. Dec 30 2020,
my best friend pass, this hit really hard. I really did not know
how to take this experience until this day I struggle with it. My
grandmother told me I need to get over it. How can you tell
someone that? People handle death different. I would not want
tell my future clients that. This what made me want attend
counseling. I should not pass judgment as a prospective
counselor, but I genuinely want an African American counselor
who will understand me as a person. But I had one that she just
didn't get; it's almost as if she never showed up or didn't take
notes while we chatted. I felt like I was wasting my time, so I
halted my counseling appointment there. Around the end of
April, I decided to test out BetterMe, a counseling website that
claims to find you a counselor in your town or within driving
distance.

32. I had three counselor and I finally made it to my fourth
counselor in July of 2021. As I learn so much from counseling
to help with my anxiety and depression. Also and understanding
my past trauma I went through at young teen/adult. As I can
actually speak my mind and not feel guilty about doing.
Everyone one is not perfect but we all do learn. During
counselling I had a problem saying no I feel bad if I say no like
god is going to punish me if I tell people no. Being in
counseling and let me learn how to show emotions or how to
better deal with my clients. My life show me that you can do
anything you put your mind to. Being an African American
female you just got grind harder at what you want.
To include life is all about learning and what’s for you will
always be for you. As African American do have a hard time.
But overall it an eye opener for other that we are actually out
here succeeding and enjoying life. As we do work 10x harder
than any other race. As a child I always wonder how the mind
work and why people do what they do. As I major and
counseling I also want go for my Psyd. In clinical psychology I
want do more with the forensic psychology background.
As we enter the life of a counselor, populations most qualified
to work with I actually have work with a lot of populations so
far and the most interesting is the prison population. I have
been with the prison for over 3.5 years and try me I will never
and life think I could work at a prison and you talking about
counseling there also. This was new learning experience for me
but I also notice that dealing with the prison mental health is
more environment thing mental health at times.
As working with mental health for over 10 years I work with
children with disabilities to adults with psychiatric issues. To
the prison with anything you can imaging they did to come back
there. Actually do not have population that I feel
uncomfortable with yet as im still learning but I have deal with

33. the rapist and the abuser but I feel it’s a trauma they did with as
children. Dealing with clients or inmates I do not judge their
criminals or what they did any their past or I trying not to. Im
still learning as I future my education and skills.