According to a counselor, we often think about people who have experienced an emotional shock, and how broken one may feel losing a loved one.
We pity them for experiencing such terrible adverse childhood experiences and incidents like physical abuse, sexual violation, car crashes, sports mishaps, or any other life-threatening event. The impact of these traumas can be long-lasting and profound.
There are also military men who suffer unmanageable effects from experiencing repeated or extreme exposure on a battlefield. We see this kind of situation in movies, and these people typically prefer to be isolated – free from interaction with other friends and close family members. It’s crucial for these individuals to seek treatment and appropriate services to cope with their traumas. A holistic approach and consistent support from professionals and loved ones can significantly aid in their healing process.
That is because of the experienced trauma.
The general population is worried that not everyone might misunderstand or reject them because they may fail to act the way normal people do due to the impact of trauma.
These individuals want physical and emotional safety instead of dealing with traumatic stress symptoms. Thus, the mental illness of trauma survivors requires coping strategies.
According to Barbara Markway, PhD, “The recognition of trauma as an important factor in psychological and physical symptoms is not new. During the American Civil War, combatants were described as suffering from “soldier’s heart” or “nostalgia.” The use of heavy artillery in World War I led to the idea of “shell shock.” More recently, the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder has entered our lexicon, and specific treatment approaches have been developed.”
However, how many of us think of the people who are behind these individuals who are helping them cope?
How Does The Trauma Informed Therapy Work?
What are the challenges they need to face and endure to achieve the healing process they aim for PTSD clients?
Trauma: Things To Be Aware Of Regarding Trauma-Focused Therapy
Medical practitioners or medical reviewers including trauma-informed counselors are humans too. They can feel, therefore, can be affected by the negative feelings, thoughts, and emotions of people who seek their help, but how do they cope after helping someone cope? But not all therapists are invisible, and some of them also need to face certain challenges. What are the challenges they need to face in performing trauma-informed therapy?
“A trauma informed therapists assume that the mind and body of a person with unhealed trauma informed is functioning in an altered way. That person may be easily triggered to feel too much emotional intensity (hyperarousal) or shut down and unable to feel much at all (hypoarousal),” wrote Robyn E. Brickel, MA, LMFT. Medical staff, nurses, and therapists who deal with trauma patients hear unfortunate situations each day.
Counselors’ Role In Trauma-Informed Therapy
Counselors have witnessed the burden of people first hand that’s why they tend to feel their pain during the trauma informed therapy. In response, they implement trauma-focused care using the diagnostic and statistical manual to help clients overcome a highly stressful event.
If one trained or is not knowledgeable in handling such work, he may have the possibility to be too attached to his patients.
Sometimes, the skepticism of other people, which includes pain, misery, anguish, serious injury, substance abuse, and mental struggle (such as depression and anxiety) or anything they are suffering from is all absorbed by the person who conducts the recovery or remedy for treating such conditions.
If a patient who recently lost someone says, “The pain is too much to bear. I am lost, and I don’t recognize what to do,” and so forth, a trauma-focused professional cannot refuse to listen.
A counselor should be all ears to what his patient is conveying, making him prone to feeling the pain as well. Being in the mental health field requires not just sympathy but also empathy.
A counselor is required to be tough emotionally, or else he can get caught up in the negativity of his patients, and that is where his years of study, training, and pursuit of expertise show.
Being informed is useful for both patients and counselors as knowledge of trauma-informed care helps them compose themselves in dealing with patients. This approach to informed care ensures that professionals recognize and respond to the various impacts of trauma.
It allows them to familiarize themselves with the reality of actual or threatened triggering events, and it also sets expectations preventing them from being overwhelmed and distressed by what they see or hear.
Understanding Trauma Informe Therapy
This is beneficial to patients because it allows them to receive the appropriate treatment strategies they need, especially when they are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental disorders linked to threatened events involving death.
All counseling from the abuse and mental health services administration is beneficial as they all aim to better the mental health of a person, but this trauma-focused care first session focuses on the cause of the problem which is the adverse childhood experience and history experienced by the patient.
Therefore, it is easier to plan an approach or technique for addressing issues such as substance abuse and others.
Mellissa Withers, PhD, MHS, emphasized the need for training in trauma-informed therapy among health-care providers and law enforcement. She wrote, “This training in trauma-informed care is necessary for health-care providers and law enforcement. This training is important to build the capacity among providers to deliver holistic patient care, being sensitive to how a range of experiences over the life course may relate to a person’s current health behaviors and health status.”
Final Thoughts About Trauma-Informed Care Therapy
Likewise, being in trauma-focused care makes a mental health professional prepared to aid patients without having to worry about being too attached and emotionally affected by the issues of patients. It makes many professionals objective and focused on one goal, and that is to help the patient in achieving great mental health.
FAQs
What are the 5 principles of trauma-informed therapy?
The 5 principles of trauma-informed therapy emphasize the importance of creating a safe environment and understanding the unique needs of trauma survivors. Adopting a trauma-informed approach means recognizing and responding to the various effects of traumatic experiences while coordinating with health services to offer the necessary support, ensuring a holistic informed approach to care.
What are the techniques used in trauma-informed practice?
Techniques used in trauma-informed practice range widely to cater to the diverse needs of individuals. Mental health services employ various therapeutic methods to address the impact of trauma. Understanding the connection between abuse and mental health is crucial, and practitioners provide tools and interventions to enhance clients’ coping skills.
What are the 11 principles of trauma-informed care?
What are the 3 central components of trauma-informed principles?
What are the 3 E’s of trauma?
What type of care is best for survivors?
What is the goal of trauma-focused care?
What is the difference between regular counseling and trauma-informed care?
How do you identify someone who has experienced traumatic events?
Which areas of the brain are most directly affected by traumatic events?
What are the six pillars of trauma-informed care?
What are trauma-focused care interventions?
What is the trauma-focused checklist?
How do you apply trauma-focused care in practice?