Rapid Response with Children and Families Following Community Violence: A Clinical Social Work Approach
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Rapid Response with Children and Families Following Community Violence: A Clinical Social Work Approach
Jack C. Wall, DSW, and Alan J. Levy, DSW
Introduction The effects of violence on children have been a national concern for some time. Indeed, the United States has the highest rate of assaults and murders than any other nation in the world and most of these incidents occur among the poor (Prothrow-Stith & Weissman, 1991). There is evidence that many children are exposed to violence. In a survey of children in New Orleans, over half reported that they were victims of violence and six percent stated that they were victims of severe violence. Over 90% of the children in that study had witnessed some type of violence, 37% had witnessed severe violence, and 40% reported that they had seen dead bodies (Osofsky, Wewers, Hann, & Fick, 1993). It seems clear that violence is a pervasive, troubling phenomenon, which challenges the coping abilities of members of society and the social systems upon which they rely. It is also apparent that society has been unable to shield children from the effects of violence, and that many children must learn to cope with violence and its aftermath on an on-going basis. This paper will employ narrative theory as a framework to guide clinicians in their interventions with children, families and communities
Jack C. Wall and Alan J. Levy are both affiliated with the School of Social Work, Loyola University, Chicago. Address Correspondence to Jack C. Wall, School of Social Work, Loyola University, 820 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA . 3
Ó 2005 Human Sciences Press, Inc.
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CHILD AND ADOLESCENT SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL
immediately following violent events in the community. Since many violent incidents happen with no warning, and the reasons for their occurrences often remain obscure, survivors of these events often have great difficulty in explaining them. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to integrate these events in a coherent manner. Community violence thus can disrupt children’s functioning by challenging the ways they and others have construed their views of the world. The ways families and children negotiate the initial aftermath of violent events is especially important to address since this period profoundly influences the course of subsequent adaptations (Baker, Sedney, & Gross, 1992).
Narrative Theory and its Application Narrative theory has developed from a convergence of trends in a variety of disciplines. Major theoretical roots lie in developments related to linguistics and language acquisition (Vygotsky, 1978, 1986); symbolic interaction (McCall & Wittner, 1990), and hermeneutics (Packer, 1985). These disciplines study the interpretation and structure of experience. Behavior is seen through the analogy of a story that people tell about their activities and how such tasks and experiences are organized into meaningful wholes (Holland, 1991). Narratives are considered to be symbolized accounts of actions that have temporal dimensions (Sarbin, 1986). Narratives are no
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