Miranda Mayeaux chose to focus on mental health when she enrolled at the Boston College School of Social Work in fall 2021. But it wasnât until she started taking courses in trauma-informed care that she was able to narrow down her career path and find her niche.
âI was so nervous about doing trauma work because thatâs really heavy stuff. You canât even imagine what some people go through. Iâm thinking, âhow am I going to be able to keep my cool and maintain my composure and give them effective services if Iâm overwhelmed by the things that theyâre telling me?ââ says Mayeaux, ˛Ńł§°Ââ22. âBut after getting into some of the trauma courses, it was like, âno, this is exactly what I want to do.ââ
The courses, which have been revamped over the past few years, are one component of the schoolâs Trauma Integration Initiative, a holistic program that prepares students to help clients cope with trauma while guarding themselves against its effects. According to studies, 85 percent of social workers routinely treat clients with a traumatic condition, while one in seven social workers develop post-traumatic stress disorders.
Mayeaux has applied what she has learned in three trauma courses to her work with teens at a nonprofit child and family service agency in Boston. One course, âAdult Psychological Trauma,â provided a blueprint for understanding how problems in youth may show up later in life.Â
âI just look at the overall trajectory of where they are, how an issue might present for them in adulthood, and what I can do now so it doesnât end up being such a big struggle,â says Mayeaux, a clinical intern at the agency.Â
âAdvanced Trauma Theory and Treatment Modalitiesâ has helped her recognize when her clients are in fight-or-flight modeâan automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as frighteningâand given her the tools to help them switch off the response. Â
She practices deep breathing with one client, a young woman who often feels disconnected from her thoughts, feelings, and memories. âWhenever she starts to get into that state, we do the breathing,â says Mayeaux, who is on track to earn a certificate in trauma from 51˛čšÝSSW. âIt really helps her to stay present in the moment. And it also gives her a sense of control over whatâs happening, which is really helpful in her treatment.â
Mayeaux says her newfound knowledge helped her land a full time position as an outpatient trauma clinician for the in the cityâs Dorchester neighborhood, a job she will begin in June. She credits âChild and Adolescent Traumaâ with teaching her how trauma can be passed down from one generation to the next âa skill that will come in handy as she works with clients from age 4 to 90.
As part of her role, Mayeaux will join the and provide emergency support to people who have been affected by community violence. She says she plans to cope with vicarious trauma by practicing self-careâshe likes to read, journal, and chill out in front of the TVâbut her clients will be her top priority when sheâs working. Â
âIâm so focused on caring for my clients that itâs very easy to put everything going on inside of me on the back burner so I can be present and help them,â she says. âI think the effect is definitely after, whenever Iâm sitting back in the office and doing notes and itâs like, âWow, that just happened.ââ
“I was so nervous about doing trauma work because thatâs really heavy stuff. You canât even imagine what some people go through. But after getting into some of the trauma courses, it was like, âno, this is exactly what I want to do.â”
Kathleen Flinton, an assistant professor of the practice who co-chairs the TII, says the trauma curriculum readies students to respond to the traumatic experiences of clients who have suffered as a result of violence, racism, or other forms of oppression.
âWe have created these courses to prepare students to work with trauma beyond an understanding of PTSD,â she says. âWe are using a broad approach to trauma that includes many lived experiences that present a threat to life, safety, and survival and anchored this approach within a social justice framework.â
Flinton describes Mayeaux as âthoughtfulâ and âdeeply committedâ to helping clients cope with trauma. As the faculty member who led Mayeauxâs courses in âChild and Adolescent Traumaâ and âAdvanced Trauma Theory and Treatment Modalities,â she says her studentâs ability to connect and engage with her clients signal that she will succeed as a social worker.Â
âMiranda has been great to get to know and work with over these two courses,â she says. âIâm excited to see how her practice evolves over the course of her career and the contributions she will make.â
Mayeaux was drawn to social work long before she was earning degrees in the field. As a kid, she says she had a therapist who made her feel heard and cared for, and she wanted to pay it forward. Â
âI remember thinking, âI want to do that for other people,ââ Mayeaux recalls. âI wanted to be able to make other people feel the way that this therapist made me feel whenever I needed somebody most.â
After graduating with her bachelorâs degree in social work from Northwestern State University in 2021, she enrolled in the Advanced Standing MSW program at Boston College, which will allow her to complete her degree in less than one year. She says she chose 51˛čšÝ for the quantity and quality of mental health clinics in Boston. As she puts it, âI was like, âI need to get in there. Itâs perfect. Itâs in the city. Itâs a bigger place for me to explore and expand my knowledge.â
Mayeaux credits Flinton with helping her realize that she has what it takes to work with clients who have experienced severe trauma. She describes her teacherâs classroom as a âsafe space for everybody,â where every lesson begins with a grounding exercise to bring students into contact with the present.
âYou need to be present so you can fully absorb what weâre going to talk about today,â Mayeaux recalls Flinton saying. âWhat we talk about is dysregulating, but Kathleen is able to normalize itâthese are heavy topics and you can get through,â she adds. âIt was something that really got to me whenever I was considering whether I could do trauma work.â
Mayeaux plans to continue working as an outpatient clinician for the foreseeable future and want to become a licensed independent clinical social worker within the next two years. But she says her primary goal is helping her clients make positive changes to their lives.Â
âI want to provide them with something that they can look back on and say, âI got help, something that this person said stuck with me, I'm carrying that with me, and itâs helping me.ââ