Bringing in the Community: A University-Community Endeavor to Teach Marital and Family Therapy Students About Community-Based Violence and Trauma

Abstract

This article reports the results from a course module, based on the model developed in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health, for students enrolled in a marriage and family therapy program at a large university in upstate New York. Students were taken on bus tours through high-crime areas to gain a greater understanding of how various determinants, including trauma and crime, affect community mental health. The authors review the community-level social determinants of mental health and cultural competence, elements of the Framework, and describe how violence and trauma affect the community residents the students will work with in their practicums. The authors present the module, students’ feedback, and reflections from faculty as well as community members, who all report learning a great deal about the trauma their clients face.