Social Work Meetup: Writing Without Placing Blame

In mitigation writing, there is a delicate balance of identifying the harms done to the client while not (always) overtly placing blame on the parent or adult provider. The client may benefit from the parent/provider as a lifeline for their future, or may not see the situation in the same way as you; thus, discretion in writing (and blaming) is important. How do you address intergenerational trauma, or other harms committed by the parent or adult provider, while still working to preserve the role of the parent/provider in the client’s life for the future?

Stephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia. She is currently the Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator for NAPD, Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program, and owner of Transform Legal, a consultancy focused on mitigation, training, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients, lawyers, social workers, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.