Healing from Trauma
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a mental disorder as a significant disturbance in a person's cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. It's usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning.
What is Therapy?
Therapy provides a safe and confidential place for a person to talk to a professional about personal experiences, thoughts, feelings, or problems. People who go to therapy may have experienced a situation that that disrupts and/or impacts his or her thinking, mood, feelings, or ability to relate to others.
A person may also seek out therapy because they want a neutral and safe place to talk about general life experiences. Many people seek out therapy: adults, youth, teens, even therapists themselves. Everyone needs somewhere they feel safe and supported.
The role of the therapist is to help the person understand his/her situation, teach strategies to express him/herself, and cope with potentially stressful situations. The therapist can also offer the individual or family tools to help them manage difficult feelings, and/or negative thoughts and behaviours.
What is Trauma-Focused Therapy?
Trauma-Focused Therapy is a specific approach to therapy that recognizes and emphasizes understanding how the traumatic experience impacts a person mental, behavioural, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. This type of therapy is rooted in understanding the connection between the trauma experience and the child’s emotional and behavioral responses.
The purpose of trauma-focused therapy is to offer skills and strategies to assist for better understanding, coping , processing emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences, with the end goal of enabling the client to create a healthier and more adaptive meaning of the experience that took place in his/her life.
The therapeutic approaches will incorporate techniques to help clients process their trauma. It also equips them with coping strategies to manage distressing symptoms. The ultimate goal is to foster resilience and empower people to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
Unresolved trauma can lead to conditions such as:
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post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
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Physical health problems. Addressing these issues through therapy is crucial for healing and recovery. It helps people confront traumatic experiences, process their emotions and develop coping mechanisms.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
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Depressive disorders
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Anxiety disorders
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Alcohol and substance use disorders
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Self-harm and suicide-related behaviours
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Physical
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Personality disorders:
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Dissociative disorders
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Attachment disorder
Trauma focused therapy emphasis on:
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Safety and stabilization: Learn how to handle overwhelming emotions , triggers and regulate feelings
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Trauma processing: Learn to identify and process the traumatic experience
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Integration and integration: Learn to integrate the experience into your life and move forward
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Coping skills : actively engaging in practices that promote well-being and emotional regulation,