Sangeeta (name changed) is a minor victim of commercial sexual exploitation,  currently placed in a child care institution. She has been undergoing regular trauma- informed counseling since February 2020. During the initial counseling sessions,  Sangeeta would often not be able to verbalize her feelings. She would often share what had happened but could not share the feeling. For instance, she would share that she had a fight with a friend because the friend made fun of her but would not share that she felt hurt by her friend’s statements.  

When working on the rehabilitation of victims of trauma, recognizing and validating the victim’s emotions is crucial. While interacting with victims, counselors and social workers may often observe that victims struggle to identify their feelings. As a  counselor, the first step, in stabilizing the clients is by helping them name their feelings. Reflections such as ‘I sense that you are angry’, ‘you sound hurt’ among others help the clients not only feel validated but also add to their emotional vocabulary. Eventually, as the sessions progress, it would be helpful to check in with clients about how they are feeling. The goal of this progression is to eventually equip the clients to name their feelings themselves. This is an important step, as often once we name things, they seem less intimidating.  

Over the course of a year through consistent intervention, there has been a  tremendous shift in Sangeeta’s emotional vocabulary. Now, she is not only able to name her emotions but also shares why it is okay for her to feel a certain way.  For instance, after a delay in some case-related concerns, Sangeeta remarked ‘I am angry, and I have the right to be angry’. Over the course of the interaction, she also was able to identify effective ways to help her stabilize her anger and overcome the challenges she was facing. Thus, she was able to take charge of how she was feeling and determine her next course of action. 

As caseworkers and counselors working with victims of trauma, we must encourage normalizing different emotions and naming them among our clients. An essential part of rehabilitation after any distress is recognizing the emotion behind it.  Emotions form the cornerstone of trauma-focused care.