Revisiting the Real Life Scenario
Shruti and Mia
At the beginning of this chapter, we introduced you to Shruti, a 23-year-old female who moved to Canada from the US and became trapped in sex trafficking, and Mia, a 17-year-old transgender woman fleeing an abusive relationship.
We need to ask ourselves:
- Flynn et al. (2018) indicate that women, in particular, try to overcome social isolation by developing relationships. Ironically the very relationships they hope will help, when based upon abuse, lead to even further forced social exclusion and social isolation. Given what you have learned about the importance of social inclusion for well-being, what comes to mind when you think of Shruti and the challenges she may be facing?
- What comes to mind when you think of Mia and the challenges they may be facing? How does their situation make you feel? What role might trauma have played in Mia’s experiences? What changes might you see if the shelter Mia accessed provided trauma-informed services?
- According to Dr. Thulien, individuals may have different experiences, but all individuals have the same basic needs. What do you consider to be the basic needs for these individuals? How, if at all, do you think their needs and experiences differ based on their gender identity?
- In this chapter, Dr. Oudshoorn discusses a system that has been created to support “middle-aged white men”. Dr. Abramovich suggests that discrimination in society creates the conditions for high rates of mental illness, substance use and self-harm for LGBTQ2S+ individuals. What changes to the system would be beneficial to Mia and Shruti? How might we, as a society, create new conditions necessary to positively impact the system?
