Reference no: EM133310478

Case Study: When Ian was five, his mother died of cancer. Shortly after, his older sister, her husband, and their toddler daughter moved into the family home. The sister's husband murdered his toddler daughter and accused Ian of the murder. Ian confessed to a police investigator: He thought he had killed his niece because he once hit her with a toy.

Despite Ian's confession, the husband was convicted of the murder and is currently serving a 25-year sentence. His sister, whom Ian loved, moved out of his home. Ian has no other siblings.

Ian and his father David:

Ian's father, David, didn't believe in talking about problems. He was confident that Ian would forget about these events. He thought he had a great relationship with his son because they spent a lot of time together fixing motors and electronics and hunting and fishing.

He didn't realize that despite this sharing of activities and the feelings of closeness, he was dismissive in regard to Ian's psychological trauma. David's belief systems kept him for seeing that his son needed professional help to recover from his trauma.

He did have a good relationship with his son in many ways, but he was dismissive of the effects of Ian's trauma. David, too, had experienced trauma, with the death of his wife and the murder of his granddaughter being most prominent. Otherwise, he had an excellent job, earned a good income, and lived in a safe neighborhood with excellent schools and recreational opportunities.

Ian did well in school. Teachers described him as a good student, who was attentive in class, and had many friends. One teacher described Ian as "adorable" and said he was her favorite, although she tried not to show that she favored him.

Reason for Referral

When Ian was eight, he sexually abused the three-year old daughter of his day care provider who lived next door. This was not sexual play, but penetration with some manipulation and force.

Ian's sexual acting out raised questions about whether his sister's husband, a registered sex offender, had sexually abused Ian years earlier.

Questions:

1. Identify and describe the events that constitute Ian's clear case of complex trauma.

2. How would you collect more information about Ian's trauma?

3. How would you involve David's father in Ian's care?