1. SPINNING IN CIRCLES: THE CYCLE OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRAUMA
Travis Andrews, MS, LPCS, TFCBT
Terrilyn Battle, MS, LPCA, CRC
June 7, 2019

2. Social Constructivist Theory
Theoretical Underpinning
Social Constructivist Theory
Theoretical Underpinning
Focuses on the creation of reality and how individuals view the world
Meaning is saturated in culture, history, place, and time
Exploration of norms that guide thinking and behaving
Consistent construction of knowledge
Examination of origins and implications of an idea

3. SPINNING IN CIRCLES: THE CYCLE OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT OF TRAUMA

4. “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter
“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty Is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom.”
Compassion International (2019)

5. Types of Poverty Generational poverty Situational poverty
Social poverty
Educational poverty
Health poverty
Spiritual poverty
Environmental poverty
Economic poverty

6. Poverty in 2017: 39.7 million people experienced poverty
Poverty in the US
Poverty in 2017:
39.7 million people experienced poverty
26.1% of poverty rate were working-age people with disabilities
10.4% of poverty rate consisted of working-age people without disabilities
Differences between 2016 and 2017 reflected a 0.4% decrease
Individuals without health insurance coverage was 28.5 million

7. Poverty Rates
Poverty rates of non-institutionalized working-age people by disability status
Disability Type %
MOE
Number
Base Pop.
Sample Size
No Disability
10.4
0.07
17,128,500
125,280
165,249,600
1,544,390
Any Disability
26.1
0.31
5,111,300
69,750
19,607,800
195,113
Visual
27.0
0.72
1,000,300
31,060
3,709,700
35,275
Hearing
19.8
0.63
762,300
27,120
3,843,300
38,727
Ambulatory
29.1
0.46
2,795,200
51,770
9,600,500
95,200
Cognitive
31.5
0.50
2,592,900
49,880
8,233,700
81,220
Self-Care
31.1
0.78
1,070,000
32,120
3,441,300
34,869
Independent Living
31.0
0.55
2,159,700
45,550
6,957,700
70,234
* Note: The Census Bureau does not calculate poverty status for individuals living in military group quarters or college dormitories

8. Statistics of Poverty 40.6 million people lived in poverty in 2016
16.3% were women; 13.8% were men
21.2% of all children lived in poverty
9.3% were seniors living in poverty

9. What is Generational Poverty?

10. Generational Poverty
Generational Poverty
Generational poverty is defined as a family having lived in poverty for at least two generations or longer.

11. Key factors of Generational Poverty
Hopelessness
Surviving vs. planning
Values and patterns

12. Culture of Poverty
Culture of Poverty
Poverty is the result of people’s values and cultural norms
Norms impact and shape our life choices and opportunities
Culture itself is relatively fixed and unchanging

13. Causes of Poverty Unemployment Poor physical health
Emotional difficulties
Substance abuse
Low educational level
Job layoffs
Low paying jobs
Mismanagement of resources
Relational problems
Traumatic experiences

14. Adverse Childhood Experiences Model

15. Contributions of Poverty on Trauma
Individual Distress: Potential to disrupt functioning across multiple domains
Adult Intimate Relationships: Problems with communication, difficulty expressing emotion, high rates of hostility, aggression, and interpersonal violence
Parent-Child Relationships: Attachment and mistrust stemming from parental withdrawal/worry
Parenting: Decreased parental effectiveness, less warmth, limited understanding of child development and needs
Family as a Whole: Impacted by high stress, disorganized lifestyles, and conflicting relationships 

16. Implications Counselor Educators Counselors-in-training
Helping professionals

17. References References
Compassion International (2019). Poverty defined. Retrieved from
Cornell University (2019) Disability status report: United States. Retrieved from StatusReport_US.pdf?CFID= &CFTOKEN=972add0f698a6ed0-65D76B39-B5D1-5ADF EEBF0EFC8.
Cummins, E. (n.d.). Culture of poverty: Definition, theory & examples. Retrieved from of-poverty-definition-theory-examples.html
Hughes, C., & Avoke, S. K. (2010). The elephant in the room: Poverty, disability, and employment. Research & Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 35, 5-14.
McAuliffe, G., & Eriksen, K. (2011). Handbook of counselor preparation: Constructivist, developmental, and experiential approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Poverty USA. (2019). Poverty facts: The population of poverty USA. Retrieved from
United States Census Bureau (2018, September). Income and poverty in the United States: Retrieved from