Beyond Youth Resistance: Telling the Whole Story

Dr. Meagan Corrado

I had a reputation at the schools where I worked.  A reputation for being a fearless social worker.  Sometimes I was even foolishly fearless. Teachers and staff knew that regardless of the child’s behavior, I was up for the challenge.  Chair throwing?  Bring the child to me.  Weapons? Bring the child to me.  Punching?  Biting? Eloping?  Bring those children to me too.  I was always up for the challenge.  The more resistance the child displayed, the more willing I was to support them.  Was I delusional about my own capacities? No. Did I have a superhero complex? I don’t believe so.  Did my own personal traumas create an internal gravitational pull toward risk?  Perhaps. 

As I reflect on the motivation behind my fearlessness, one word comes to mind:  

Stories.

The “resistant behaviors” displayed by each of the children I worked with told a story.  But these behaviors didn’t tell the full story.  Beneath the surface stories of these “resistant children” who disrespected teachers, attacked others, and wreaked havoc in the classroom were also stories of children who had been neglected, abused, and traumatized.  Stories of children who were afraid to trust.  Stories of youth in search of safety and stability.

The “acting out” behaviors that these youth displayed served many different purposes.  Some youth equated emotional closeness with increased vulnerability.  They used acting out behaviors as a defense mechanism to keep others at a distance.  Many displayed resistance out of a compulsory gravitation toward trauma reenactment.  By repeating the same cycles of chaos and harm that they had been subjected to, youth experienced an increased sense of power and control.  Others displayed resistant behaviors because no one ever taught them how to regulate emotions in the face of discomfort and pain.

When I saw these resistant behaviors in the youth I worked with, I wasn’t afraid because I knew that these behaviors didn’t represent the child’s whole story.  Ford reminds us that 

“Having been terrified, intimidated, exploited, deceived, abandoned, rejected, betrayed, or insufficiently protected in key relationships…youth with complex trauma histories are understandably distrustful of current relationships.  This is particularly true in relationships in which the other person(s) has authority, because power can be used to take advantage of or harm anyone who lets down their guard and is trusting or hopeful.“

(Ford et al, 2012)

Resistance for many of the youth I worked with was a survival mechanism that helped them navigate traumatizing environments and toxic relationships.

Instead of allowing resistant behaviors to overpower the rest of the child’s story, I made space for an alternative narrative.  A narrative of hope. Winnicott (2012) states of the connection between acting out behavior and hope, “Delinquency indicates that some hope remains.  You will see that it is not necessarily an illness of the child when he behaves antisocially, and antisocial behavior is at times no more than an SOS for control by strong, loving, confident people.”  If we are courageous enough to stick around after the chair throwing, punching, and biting has subsided. If we are patient enough to wait for the smoke to clear and the crisis to be resolved.  If we are creative enough to consider the youth’s behavior from a new and different perspective, we can then support them in slowly uncovering the hidden parts of their narratives.  We can assist them in dreaming of a more hopeful future. We can collaboratively join them in their journey toward resolution and recovery.  

My own drive to support youth in telling their stories—beyond the disruptive behavior to the strength and resilience—motivated my development of the Storiez Trauma Narrative intervention.  Storiez is an intervention that supports youth in reflecting on positive and negative experiences, creatively detailing those experiences, and envisioning a new and different future.  Storiez includes the following nine steps: 

My own drive to support youth in telling their stories—beyond the disruptive behavior to the strength and resilience—motivated my development of the Storiez Trauma Narrative intervention.  Storiez is an intervention that supports youth in reflecting on positive and negative experiences, creatively detailing those experiences, and envisioning a new and different future.  Storiez includes the following nine steps: 

I used Storiez to support “Jasmine,” an elementary school student with a reputation for explosivity.  Her behaviors included chair throwing, yelling, and fighting.  To teachers and peers, she was unapproachable.  Angry.  A hopeless cause.  Her explosive behaviors were no doubt problematic.  But they only represented part of her story.  

As I led Jasmine through each of the Storiez steps, we talked about the abuse and loss that fueled her anger.  We uncovered her strengths and sources of resilience.  When Jasmine had finished telling her story, she developed a new vision for the future.  A future where she was successful.  Grounded.  Happy.  A future where she understood who she was and where she was going.  A future where she was less angry and more hopeful. 

Jasmine credits the Storiez intervention with helping her turn a pivotal corner.  With time, not only did her school-related behaviors improve, but she also felt more connected to herself and her experiences.  Jasmine’s storytelling experience speaks to the inherent value of narratives.  Narratives are a powerful tool in harnessing the therapeutic power of hope. Stories are teeming with possibility.  The end of the story doesn’t have to be like the beginning.   Characters can evolve and grow.  

Hope should always be an integral part of our trauma-informed, recovery-centered work with youth.  Hope reminds us that there are always opportunities for growth and change.  Hope reminds us that as long as a person is living and breathing, their story isn’t over.  Hope tells us that no matter how severe the behavior—no matter how strong the resistance—youth can transform their stories in the present and future.

References

Ford, J., Chapman, J., Connor, D., Cruise, K. (2012). Complex trauma and aggression in secure juvenile justice settings. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39 (6), 694-724.

Winnicott, D. (2012). Deprivation and delinquency. London: Routledge, 116-123.

About the Author

Meagan Corrado is a Doctor of Social Work and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. As the owner and founder of Storiez Trauma Narratives, she has authored 9 books and trained over 6,000 clinicians, community leaders, and trauma survivors across 20 innovative training programs.

Dr. Meagan’s interest in helping others process difficult life experiences began at a very early age when she helped family members and friends process feelings about significant life stressors. Storiez stems from Dr. Meagan’s own personal experiences with trauma, as well as her clinical work with children, adolescents, and families.

Dr. Meagan earned her DSW from the University of Pennsylvania in 2016, her Masters of Social Services from Bryn Mawr College in 2009, and her Bachelor’s of Social Work from Cairn University in 2008. She has instructed graduate-level social work students at West Chester University, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Meagan specializes in work with children and teenagers who have experienced difficult life experiences. She takes a creative approach to her work with children, adolescents, and families, incorporating elements of art, music, poetry, and play therapy in her clinical practice. She also engages in her own creative practice, using mosaic, alcohol ink, collage, and resin as a way to process her own experiences of trauma and resilience.

Dr. Meagan completed training in a variety of modalities, including Childhood Sexual Abuse Treatment, Trauma-Focused CBT, CBT, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Narrative Exposure Therapy. Her experience includes clinical work in a variety of settings, including community mental health agencies, residential treatment facilities, schools, and homes. More recently, Dr. Meagan has supported systems in implementing trauma-informed practices. She has worked collaboratively with the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the American Institutes for Research.