Family Trauma Case #5

Joy was engaged with her partner Jimmy for three years. They lived together in the same town as my family. Joy is also my cousin. Their association was yet to be blessed with a child but this seemed to worry Jimmy who wanted a child as soon as possible. None of them was willing to seek medical help for fertility-related issues. There was no evidence of intimate partner violence. However, Joy report suspected instances of her partner’s infidelity. She feels traumatized by these events in her courtship and states that her partner seemed to have lost interest in their courtship. The nature of her trauma is unique in that there is no actual evidence that the trauma occurred but the psychological outcome suggests an underlying emotional trauma. Emotional trauma from intimate partners reveals in various forms and often goes unnoticed. Joy’s case would as well be classified as emotional abuse. Outcomes of the Trauma Joy has recently been indulging in alcohol abuse. During my last encounter with her, she discussed work issues but was hesitant to discuss relationship issues. She had started drinking about three months ago because she thought that her relationship has hit the rock bottom and was unsalvageable. She would drink late at night to forget about her spouse. Kleber (2019) associated substances with various emotional trauma in the adult population. In this case, Joy’s drinking was maladaptive. She also reported she has missed some days at work and faces dispensation by her boss. This would be attributed to her drinking and emotional stress from her relationship. Coping strategies Joy’s personal attempts to cope with her trauma involved drinking to forget about her relationship stress. Her coping strategy uses an escape-avoidance method. She believes that by drinking daily she would escape her marital stress and avoid the adverse outcomes that come with separation or emotional trauma. In this coping strategy, the victim wishfully thinks that avoiding the situation. Her behavior seems maladaptive but, in some way, it is her coping strategy. She is yet to receive counseling services. Her coping strategy would also be considered a distancing strategy. She is purposefully distancing her emotional self from the situation to create comfort but the outcomes are not favorable. In an ideal distancing strategy, the victim usually aims at creating a positive outlook (Stanisławski, 2019). Joy needs counseling services as well as medical attention together with her spouse. Managing her trauma complications without sorting out the underlying etiology for emotional trauma would not be efficacious