ADPS 3250 Psychology of Trauma

This course is designed to introduce students to the psychology of trauma and explore what it means to experience trauma, manage in the aftermath, and find paths to healing. Students will become familiar with the impact and nature of a variety of interpersonal psychological traumas, such as childhood abuse, intimate partner and domestic violence, transgenerational trauma, and race-based and gender-based trauma. The course will explore the evolution of our understanding of trauma, diagnosis of trauma, and treatment of trauma-related disorders. We will investigate the various outcomes of trauma, including psychological disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), interpersonal difficulties, and the psychophysiological alterations associated with trauma. We will also explore factors that predict resiliency as well as ways to support and promote personal growth after trauma. A variety of media will be used in this course to cover these topic areas, including empirical and clinical research, classic texts written by trauma experts, case histories, popular media, and personal narratives.