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Hello, everyone, my name is Lexus Perales, and I am in the master's program: Mental Health and Wellness Counseling at Angelos State University.

When I look back on my life, there are many different traumatic experiences I have gone through, a few that I would never want to have happened simply because there are still nonvisible scars that will never go away. Still, it makes me more aware of the surroundings and individuals' behavior. Being a single mother makes me more aware that everyone needs to be able to heal, and there is no time limit on such a powerful thing.

Immediately, when I think of any trauma or mental health that I have experienced, it will be when I had my daughter in 2018. She is my pride and joy, and the pregnancy was pretty rocky due to the relationship I was in; it was very stressful, and only a few "happy" days. A week after I had my daughter, I was back in the hospital diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. Bell's Palsy is when the muscles on one side of the face become weak- temporarily paralyzed. Before being diagnosed, I had no clue what Bell's Palsy was. The doctors looked at me and said, "What are you stressed about?"- your body reacts very traumatic to stress and just decided to shut down. Of course, like any human, especially one that just had her first child, hearing all of that is very scary. From that day forward, I decided to live my life for myself & my daughter. I want no parts if it doesn't involve me being genuinely happy. I made a vow that I would never let another individual have so much power over me that put me in the hospital and have my mental health at a risk.

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The First personal goal of mines will be to start my nonprofit organization this year to help children in the foster care system- starting a kids' hair care line that will benefit all ethnicities to love their hair no matter how different it is. Part of the proceeds will go to a nonprofit organization.

The second personal goal I hope to learn from this course is different techniques and coping skills to help the children heal from any trauma they may have faced. Understanding various traumas and their effects on an individual will help me learn how to mentor them, as well as many questions about why a person might behave a certain way. The biggest takeaway from reviewing the resources on mental health concerns is that most mental health disorders start around the age of 14. The first initial thought in my head was how many children are suffering, and their parents have no clue.

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A professional goal of mine is to reach as many children as possible in this world that need help- if I can help one, I can help many. No child should feel as if their feelings are invalid and not heard. One main thing I would like to get out of this course is to learn how to diagnose different traumas and discover ways to help an individual overcome the trauma. Trauma can overtake an individual life; with the proper help and resources, anyone can be on a healthy road to pure happiness and recovery.

In my future goal as a foster care advocate, knowledge of identifying trauma and mental illness at the first signs will help me help the children in their coping skills. Learning to identify crises, mental illnesses, and any trauma will help me help the children in foster care to understand themselves, see self-worth and passion as well, and know that their feelings are entirely valid. There is a healthy way to overcome all challenges. Many foster care kids grow up with hurt, confusion, different forms of trauma, and mental health issues as well. We all understand that some children are taken away from their biological parents because of neglect or even abuse- but their lives don't nicely get better once they are taken out of the unhealthy environment. This class will help me in my futre goals, being a parent as well as my indivual mental health; look forward to learning with you all.

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The American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics "mission of the American Counseling Association is to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the counseling profession, and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity." (ACA Code of Ethics as Approved by the ACA Governing Council Mission for Non-Commercial Purposes Only, 2014) The ethics are in place to protect the client and the counselor. My future role as a foster care advocate is to provide honest help, confidentiality, documentation, network support, and many different categories to ensure I provide professional assistance to all clients.

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Unit 1 -Reference Guide for Mental Health

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Unit 1 -Reference Guide for Mental Health

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The reference guide for mental health was by far the most informative assignment in this course. The information in the directory is beneficial, considering there are many different types of mental health disorders. Learning the research-based definition and the causes of the disorders is very helpful. Learning about various mental disorders and that there are different categories based on a specific disorder will be very applicable in my future role. Considering that I will work with the foster care system, all children will come from different backgrounds and cultures. Learning about the various mental health disorders will help me be able to find resources that will allow the children to meet their needs and determine if there are any mental disorders they are suffering from.

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Unit 2- Developmental Discussion on Trauma

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Unit 2- Developmental Discussion on Trauma

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Murder to Mercy: The Cynthia Brown Story

COLLAPSE

Discussion Part 1

What is your opinion on the ACE studies? Do you consider it to be a good representative of the population? Why or why not?

In my opinion, the ACE studies show all the different categories that any child can go through and how it affects them in the long run. Adverse childhood experiences are more profound than many believe, and the studies show just that. Experiencing adverse childhood trauma has been linked to increased medical conditions in a child up to adulthood. Any abuse can cause PTSD, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, poor self-image, and significant health issues. Many children who have experienced abuse might also have learning disadvantages in the academic environment, which can cause bullying. Traumatic childhood trauma not only affects a child while they are a child, but it rolls over to adulthood as well. The ACE study is a good representative of the population, considering it is accurate in many aspects. I took the ACES quiz last semester and was shocked by my results. Some things in my childhood I did not look at as being a traumatic experience, but the study put things in a more understanding perspective of why I do/ have done something. (Shattnawi et al., 2022)

Identify and explain, in your own words, three types (categories) of trauma you found most interesting in the course readings. Provide an example for each type of trauma.

Acute Trauma: When a single traumatic event has happened in an individual's life, for example, a traumatic car accident.

Organizational trauma: This type of trauma is when an entire organization experiences an unexpected traumatic loss, for example, if there is a terrible fire at a workplace and everyone loses their jobs.

Complex Trauma: This type of trauma is the main result of when a child or adult is being abused and has chronic trauma based on what a parent or caregiver has done to them, for example, when an older adult is getting mistreated in a nursing home.

Why do you think children are especially susceptible to trauma?

In my opinion, children are more susceptible to trauma because they are like sponges. They soak up everything that is happening around them in the environment they are living in. Children have such big loving hearts that, at some ages, they do not even understand that some individuals are causing harm to them because children are pleasers. They want to feel loved and wanted and see no evil in other humans, especially those they believe should love them, like parents and family members. When something drastic happens to them, they are more afraid to speak up, which leaves them more vulnerable to trauma.

Identify at least two grief infored or trauma informed strategies that can be used to help a student/client.

Creating a supportive school environment is a beneficial grief-informed strategy for helping students because many might not have positive support at home. Some students leave a toxic home environment and come to school to feel happier and have a sense of weight lifted off them. Home is not always considered a person's haven; creating a supportive/safe school environment will help students be more open about what they are dealing with and become more social. (Peterson, 2018)

Another helpful strategy to help students deal with grief and or trauma is understanding the random outbursts or aggressiveness and understanding that there is hurt behind that anger and that it is not personal. Taking time to listen and be a listening ear is what many students need. A venting session can be constructive with students who are dealing with grief and trauma. (Peterson, 2018)

Do you think it should be mandated that all health professionals receive education about the effects of trauma and how to assess for trauma?

Yes, of course, all health professionals should receive education and training on how trauma can affect individuals. Trauma is rooted deep in an individual; many individuals will never truly understand why a person thinks or behaves if they do not comprehend the root of all the pain/misunderstanding a person has been through. All health professionals should most definitely be trained on how to assess for trauma. It will be the blueprint for how to help many individuals. Learning mental health/ trauma is a nonstop learning process for all health professionals.

From your professional perspective, why is it important to have a basic knowledge and understanding of the effects of grief and trauma? (How is this necessary in your future role?)

As a future foster care advocate, learning essential knowledge and understanding the effects of grief and trauma will be a critical part of my role. Understanding that each child in the foster care system comes from different backgrounds and all have different adverse childhood experiences will help me to understand them in a more personal way. Building trust with them, showing non-judgment, and hearing them out will allow them to trust and know that I am here to support them most helpfully without judging or making them feel less of a person. Understanding trauma and the effects of grief will help me in my future career goal overall and is very important for my future career.

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This part of the course was by far my favorite part. Not only was I able to learn how to identify different forms of trauma and the factors it can have on people, but I also was able to learn about many other individuals' life stories. After reading all my classmates ' discussion posts, I had just heard of a few. This assignment was very informative as well as engaging. The ACE pyramid will be very applicable in my future role because, as a future advocate, I will be able to identify different adverse childhood experiences the children may have experienced and seek proper help to overcome those obstacles and adventures.

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My main takeaway from this section is that there was a Psychological first aid certificate. I had no clue this existed, and I am forever grateful to have learned about it and received my certificate. The psychological first aid certificate is a fantastic tool to have in general for anyone who works with anyone. Learning how to stabilize, connect, engage, and gather information after an individual experiences any disaster or traumatic event is essential in my future role. This tool should be used in all aspects, whether for teachers, nursing homes, etc.

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Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online_Certificate

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My takeaway from this course's crisis prevention and threat unit was that prevention is essential in all aspects. Whether from helping someone who has been in a long, challenging situation for a while or just starting to go through emotional damage. Preventing can help save someone's life and have long-term emotional and mental effects on that individual as well. Learning how specific topics and crisis trauma can affect an individual's physical, emotional, and mental well-being will be applicable in my future role as an advocate, simply for learning how an individual's thinking process affects their decision-making. Learning about different crisis and prevention measures will help all children in the system be aware of specific resources available to support them.

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This particular section in the course was very eye-opening regarding becoming an advocate for the foster care system. Being able to critique and answer questions, such as what the counselor and the counselor need to do, is a learning curve. Counseling and being an advocate will forever be a learning process, and critiquing different caseloads and looking back on my notes in my future role will help me be more successful in helping many children in the system. My takeaway from the ABC model is how to develop and maintain a healthy rapport with individuals in my future role. Different aspects, such as commitment to action and attending behavior.

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Learn: Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) (nctsn.org)

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Cultural competence is very essential in the role of delivering responsive services. A few reasons would be understanding and addressing diversity, such as recognizing and appreciating a culture's uniqueness and understanding different backgrounds, languages, and traditions. Another reason cultural competence is essential is to improve the quality of organizations that are partnerships with diverse communities, which will build a fantastic rapport and better outcomes. Cultural competence will help make the bridges that all cultures have between them.

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National Suicide Prevention Hotline

24/7 Behavioral Health Crisis Line: 1-866-912-6283, press * (star)

The Turning Point Program - Offers crisis support

Dallas/Fort Worth: 1-817-909-1171

24/7 Nurse Advice Line: 1-866-912-6283, press option 3

Alcohol/Drug Crisis Line: 1-866-912-6283

Pharmacy Helpline: 1-866-912-6283

The Annie E Casey Foundation- Youth in Transiton (aging out)

Emergency Room (ER)