Image Guided Student-Centered Case Studies: An Experiential Learning Approach to Understanding Transgenerational Trauma

Overview: Understanding transgenerational trauma is imperative for social workers engaging in practice that advances human rights, social justice, and diversity. This interactive workshop will provide an overview of transgenerational trauma and present image guided student-centered case studies as an experiential activity designed to enhance affective learning about transgenerational trauma.Proposal text: Transgenerational trauma can be conceptualized as the multigenerational impact of human rights violations such as oppression, violence, poverty, and abuse. Current research identifies four mechanisms of transgenerational transmission of trauma: 1) biological/genetic, 2) psychodynamic/relational, 3) family systems/communication, 4) social/cultural (Lucero, 2018). While it has been speculated that biomedical intervention could someday be useful to address epigenetic transmission, there is also agreement that social intervention and communal healing can serve to mitigate the impact of all these methods of transmission and is preferable to medical intervention due to its empowering approach and focus on improving, rather than masking, the core conditions (Lucero, 2018).

Social work educational competencies include advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, as well as engaging diversity in practice (CSWE, 2015). To engage in effective practice, social workers need to not only learn the details and concepts associated with transgenerational trauma (cognitive learning), but they also need to viscerally understand the lived realities of people experiencing transgenerational trauma (affective learning) (Allen & Friedman, 2010). Affective learning can occur through exposure to diverse people and their stories, whether in person or through videos, images, and audio (Cramer et al., 2012). Exposure to narratives in these different forms can serve to increase empathy both at the interpersonal and social levels (Segal, 2011).

The proposed interactive workshop is guided by experiential learning theory (Kolb & Kolb, 2005) and the use of student-authored or student-centered case studies as a learning tool (Elson, 2018; Richards et al., 2013). Experiential approaches to learning endorse collaborative teamwork and the co-construction of knowledge as methods that help contribute to deeper learning (Kolb & Kolb, 2005). Additionally, student-centered case studies have been found to increase not only critical thinking and perspective taking on a topic, but also an understanding of the complexities of addressing the topic in the field (Elson, 2018; Richards et al., 2013).

The workshop will begin with a brief overview of transgenerational trauma. Participants will receive materials describing the four transmission mechanisms outlined above as well as the possible manifestations of transgenerational trauma. Next, participants will break into small groups of three to four participants. Each group will receive an image that depicts a social situation. Groups will be tasked with creating a narrative story, or case study, about their image that portrays the experience of transgenerational trauma, the methods of transmission evident in their story, and the manifestations of trauma involved. After groups develop their case studies, they will swap with another group and spend time deconstructing the case study they received, relating it back to the image, and brainstorming how to use social healing techniques in the case.

To close, participants will discuss the experience together, highlight strengths and challenges of the activity, and brainstorm applications of the activity to different courses. Discussion questions will include: What was it like to craft the case study based on an image? What affective responses did you have participating in this activity? How do you envision using this activity in your teaching?