Abstract
Domestic minor sex trafficking leaves survivors with long lasting physical and mental health needs. Due to its insidious nature, sex trafficking is often invisible. Consequently, the needs of survivors, who have experienced complex trauma, are little understood. The outcome of complex trauma is trauma-related shame. Understanding the impact of shame specifically on trafficking survivors’ identity formation, interpersonal relationships, perception of self, and overall ability to heal are necessary to understand. It is documented in current research that mental health resources for survivors are minimal, difficult to access, and inadequate in truly making an impact on survivors’ capacity for healing. This presentation explores the impact of shame through the voices of the survivors. Individual interviews were completed in addition to a quantitative survey related to shame and trauma. The findings of this research reveal that shame was at the core of survivors’ identity and was present before, during and after trafficking. The findings also highlight the importance of genuine relationships between social workers and survivors. The survivors expressed the impact of community and belonging on their healing. Shame resilience can be fostered through compassion-focused therapy interventions. Frameworks such as shame resilience are addressed with implications to social work practice, research, and education. The importance of understanding survivor experiences is necessary across disciplines and systems.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Human Trafficking, Complex Trauma, Trauma Related Shame, Collaborative Models
