Trauma-informed therapy is a specialized area of mental health care that focuses on helping individuals who have experienced trauma. This type of therapy looks at the individual from a holistic perspective and takes into account the physical, emotional, and psychological effects of trauma. It also recognizes the role one’s environment plays in their recovery. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what trauma-informed therapy includes and how it can help those suffering from trauma.

The Goals of Trauma-Informed Therapy

Here are some of the goals of trauma-informed therapy.

Create a Safe Space

The first goal of trauma-informed therapy is to create a safe, nonjudgmental space for clients to share their stories and experiences without feeling judged or shamed. This means creating a space where clients feel comfortable opening up about their traumatic experiences without fear of being judged or blamed for what happened to them.

Help Clients Understand Their Experiences

Another goal of trauma-informed therapy is to help clients understand their experiences and gain insight into why they may be struggling with certain emotions or behaviors. This includes exploring the root causes of the trauma, understanding why it happened, processing any associated feelings, and learning healthy coping strategies that can help them manage future traumatic situations more effectively.

Promote Self-Awareness

Another key goal of trauma-informed therapy is to promote self-awareness in clients so they can better understand themselves and how their past experiences may be impacting them today. This includes exploring how these experiences may be influencing current relationships, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, etc., as well as developing strategies for managing difficult emotions and responding more effectively in stressful situations going forward.

Build Resilience

Finally, one of the ultimate goals of trauma-informed therapy is to build resilience in clients so they can cope with future challenges more effectively and live life more fully despite having gone through difficult times in the past. This includes teaching skills such as self-care practices like mindfulness meditation, stress management techniques like deep breathing exercises, communication skills such as assertiveness training, etc., all with the aim of helping clients become stronger emotionally despite any hardships they may have faced along the way.

How Trauma-Informed Therapy Differs From Traditional Therapies

Traditional therapies typically focus on helping individuals understand their past experiences and how they relate to current issues in their lives. However, trauma-informed therapies look at how past experiences may impact current behaviors and beliefs in order to move forward. For example, if an individual has experienced abuse in the past, they may struggle with trust issues or difficulty forming relationships due to that experience. Perhaps they could benefit from trauma therapy for PTSD, as a trauma-informed therapist would address those issues directly instead of just focusing on the individual’s current behavior patterns or beliefs.

Another difference between traditional therapies and trauma-informed therapies is that traditional therapies rely heavily on verbal communication while trauma-informed therapies include other modalities such as art therapy or somatic experiencing (body awareness).

These modalities allow individuals to express themselves without having to use words which can be difficult for those who have experienced traumatic events. Additionally, these modalities provide an opportunity for self-expression and exploration which can be valuable for those struggling with feelings of isolation or disconnectedness due to their traumatic experiences.

Trauma-informed therapy is a specialized form of mental health care designed specifically for individuals who have experienced a traumatic event. It takes into account both physical and psychological symptoms while addressing underlying issues such as trust issues or difficulty forming relationships due to past traumas.

Additionally, it utilizes different modalities such as art therapy or somatic experiencing which allows individuals to explore their emotions without having to use words if they are not comfortable doing so. If you are looking for support in your journey toward healing after experiencing a traumatic event, consider reaching out to a professional who specializes in trauma-informed therapy today!

Published: 2023-03-27 12:01:44