What Is Trauma Informed Therapy?
Past trauma can impact someone’s life and well-being in many ways. Trauma informed therapy is effective in treating a variety of different conditions.
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What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy?
When someone struggles with past trauma, it can impact their life and well-being in many ways. During therapy and treatment for mental health conditions, addiction, and other conditions, treatment professionals must be aware of trauma and provide the proper level of support for the client.
Trauma-informed therapy can help get better results during mental health and addiction treatment and will make clients feel more comfortable during the treatment process.
Trauma-Informed Therapy Definition
Trauma-informed therapy is a therapeutic treatment that accounts for a client’s trauma and its impact on their mental health, behavior, and ability to partake in treatment. During trauma-based therapy, your therapist will learn about past trauma history and take steps to avoid inadvertently triggering or re-traumatizing the client.1
What Trauma-Informed Therapy Can Help With
Trauma-informed therapy can help with conditions that deal with past trauma, such as PTSD. It can also help treat other mental health conditions, behavioral issues, and addiction. Trauma can play a significant role in several conditions and problems in someone’s life. The trauma-informed approach works to treat both the trauma and other conditions someone may be struggling with simultaneously.
What Is Re-Traumatization?
Re-traumatization is when trauma symptoms are reactivated by having thoughts, memories, or feelings related to past trauma. Trauma-informed practices are important in healthcare settings to avoid re-traumatizing a client to make the treatment process as comfortable as possible and get them the best results.2
How Effective Is Trauma-Informed Therapy?
Trauma-informed care has shown to be effective in treating several different conditions. Combining trauma-focused therapy with other treatment methods can be especially effective for treating the client’s past trauma and any other conditions they may be struggling with.
What Causes Trauma?
Several factors can cause trauma to occur. It’s crucial during trauma-based therapy to understand where the client’s trauma came from to provide effective treatment.3
Physical Factors
Physical factors and incidents involving physical harm can cause trauma to occur. Physical factors that can cause trauma include physical or sexual abuse, severe illness or injury, and accidents that cause physical harm.
Emotional Factors
Emotional factors can also play a role in someone’s trauma. Common emotional factors of trauma include emotional abuse and negative emotions, or feelings associated with past events.
Early Life Experiences
Early life experiences can also contribute to someone having trauma. Growing up in a bad situation or witnessing traumatic things around you at a young age can lead to symptoms of trauma.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors can also contribute to developing symptoms of trauma. Being in an environment that feels unsafe or where you witness traumatic events can lead to trauma occurring.
Mental Health Issues
Mental health issues may also play a factor in trauma. Things such as depression or anxiety can occur due to past trauma that occurred in someone’s life.
Principles of Trauma-Informed Therapy
During treatment, certain trauma-informed care principles should be followed to ensure the best possible results.
Safety
During trauma-informed care therapy, it’s imperative for the client to feel safe. Those who struggle with past trauma will get better results during treatment if they feel safe and comfortable with their therapist and their environment.
Trustworthiness and Transparency
Trustworthiness and transparency are also crucial during trauma-focused therapy. Trauma-informed therapists should work with clients to establish trust and transparency with each other. This allows the client to share what they’re struggling with openly so the therapist can provide the correct type of treatment.
Peer Support
Peer support can also be very beneficial during trauma-informed care. Trauma-informed group therapy can be an excellent way to provide peer support and create a positive support system for those who have struggled with past trauma.
Collaboration and Mutuality
Collaboration and mutuality are also important during trauma-focused therapy. Collaboration can be done by working with group members in trauma-informed group therapy and can help build feelings of trust between therapists and group members.
Empowerment, Voice, and Choice
One of the main principles of trauma-informed therapy is building feelings of empowerment, voice, and choice. When clients feel empowered, they get better results from treatment and more feelings of positive well-being.
Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues
Trauma-informed therapy should also understand common cultural, historical, and gender issues. These factors can often be why trauma was caused due to harsh treatment from others.
Benefits of Trauma-Informed Therapy
Trauma-focused therapy can have many benefits for treating a variety of conditions. These will be detailed below.
Helping Children and Family to Learn About Trauma
Trauma-based therapy can help children and family members learn about trauma. Having family members learn about trauma and how it can impact a loved one’s life will help facilitate a positive support system so that the family can provide positive reinforcement during treatment.
Re-Establishing Safety
Trauma-informed therapy can help re-establish feelings of safety for a client. Working through the feelings and emotions associated with trauma will help clients learn how trauma has affected their thoughts and actions and will provide ways to cope with symptoms of trauma that create more feelings of safety in everyday situations.
Identifying Triggers
Trauma-informed care will also help identify triggers of trauma. This can help know what situations cause flashbacks to trauma and how to cope during those instances.
Developing Healthy Coping Skills
Trauma-informed therapy activities will help develop healthy coping skills to manage symptoms of trauma during everyday life situations. This will help to manage trauma symptoms during difficult times.
Decreasing Traumatic Stress Symptoms
Trauma-based therapy will help decrease stress symptoms associated with trauma. This can help manage symptoms of anxiety and other daily stresses of life over time.
Get Started with Trauma-Informed Therapy
If you or someone you know is struggling with a condition related to trauma, many resources can help.
How Do You Know If a Therapist Is Trauma-Informed?
Before working with a therapist, it’s essential to know if they’re trauma-informed. The best way to tell if a therapist is trauma-informed is to ask. Other things to look for that a trauma-informed therapist will provide are:4
- A safe therapeutic environment
- Recovery from trauma is the goal during treatment
- Trauma-resistant skills training is a part of the treatment
- Treatment is focused on strengths and empowerment
How to Find Trauma-Informed Therapy Near Me?
There are several ways you can find trauma-informed care resources in your area. An online search for trauma-informed therapists near you can be an excellent way to find care. You can also talk to your doctor about your condition or contact a treatment center in your area for more information about trauma-informed therapy.
Contact a Trauma-Informed Therapist at Great Oaks Recovery Center
Trauma-informed therapists at Great Oaks Recovery can help treat various conditions related to mental health, addiction, and behavioral disorders associated with past trauma. Contact a trauma-informed therapist at Great Oaks Recovery Center today for more information about how we can help you.
Resources
- https://www.verywellmind.com/trauma-informed-therapy-definition-and-techniques-5209445
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7861410/
- https://www.psychguides.com/trauma/
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-the-questions/201512/is-your-therapist-trauma-informed-and-why-it-matters
Questions About Treatment?
Our knowledgeable team is ready to discuss your situation and options. Your call is confidential with no obligation required.