Learning of Tina was a sobering reality check of the difficult reality of working in the specialization of children with trauma. I became very sad when her reaction upon meeting Dr. Perry was one marked by misunderstanding and sexual behavior. I don't know how I would have reacted if I were the narrator- should the mother or others have been notified? Is a male psychiatrist the best option for a young girl who has been hurt repeatedly by older males?
My personal reaction was that it was shocking to learn of young children exhibiting sexual behavior or advances due to trauma. It was difficult for me to remove the lingering thoughts from my mind because it just struck me as so unnatural. I feel these are things that most people subconsciously choose to never consider or think about for too long because the reality of these situations is painful and uncomfortable.
I appreciated Perry's description of what it was like to work in this sector in the 1980's. I realized that I take for granted how far research has come and how now there are many areas of science that are proven to be related. The idea that the developing brain and the effects of trauma were not connected is strange to me. It feels wrong and harmful that children would be criticized or given a label due to their presenting behaviors without their previous trauma being taken into consideration. In relation to ethical dilemmas, it is possible that there most likely weren't as many stringent or defined rules concerning ethics then as there are now. Perry raised a great question that is still often debated now regarding where the line between professionalism and suffering should be. Tina's family endured hardship waiting in the cold, and to some people, it may feel inconsiderate, inhuman, and not conducive to the therapeutic relationship that the professional should have to ignore some factors entirely in fear of blurring boundaries. Ultimately, I felt happy that Perry made the decision to help Tina's family and that he also staffed the occurrence in supervision. In my opinion, this kind of work can be more difficult if one feels like they are not supported or have to make large decisions alone.
Perry's honesty of potentially not abiding by ethical standards, questioning one of his supervisor's, and feeling like he failed as his patient continued engaging in sexual behaviors added a genuine approach to his difficult work. It's important to be aware that people who are supervisors aren't always going to be correct or even adequate clinicians. If I were in Perry's position, I most likely would have also felt like I failed at providing treatment to Tina but his willingness to later identify how the resources were limited and how he could have improved was encouraging because even the "best of the best" have difficulty at times. Overall, it's important to remember that Perry does not have training in social work and that we are held to certain standards. With this in mind, readers should be aware that Perry's actions aren't necessarily the exact things we should be doing but we still have a lot to learn from his experiences.
Same here. Heartbreak all around with this little girl who went through so much at her young age. I wish there was more Dr. Perry could've done but times were different then. I appreciate you bringing up the year of when he was starting out because it had almost escaped me when I wrote my post. I agree that they were different times and perhaps the ethical boundaries were also a little murky then. Also, I really liked that you included that piece about his realization that resources were limited and that it took some pressure off from him because I clearly missed that. I think we also tend to get caught up in this idea that if we're social workers and we work this way or that way then everyone else who works with "x population" should also behave in the same manner. However, I've learned in my field placement that different professions have different viewpoints and while sometimes that can be detrimental, at other times it can be really beneficial in treating a patient in a more holistic way. Overall, I agree with you that Dr. Perry did a good job despite his lack of knowledge working with children. And he also had the ability to seek supervision from different professionals which was a big plus. I think he made the right decision in ignoring the first guy and seeking support from another, more experienced supervisor. I would love to have that type of supervision from someone like him in the future.
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