My Trauma Counseling Approach
My trauma counseling approach focuses on isolating and understanding the core problems so I can help people grow and move forward. I do not focus on symptoms like stress and lack of sleep. instead, I delve deeper to uncover the underlying drivers.
According to Judith Herman (1997) : “Traumatic events call into question basic human relationships by breaching the attachment of family, friendship, love and community. They shatter the construction of self that is formed and sustained in relation to others and undermine the belief systems that give meaning to human experience. They violate the victim’s faith in a natural or divine order and cast the victim into a state of existential crisis.”
Trauma impacts the entire human organism – the body, mind and brain. Whilst with PTSD the body continues to defend against a threat that belongs to the past.
Therefore, I use approaches that target both mind and body in an integrated way to treat trauma and associated conditions or comorbidity such as depression and anxiety. I use various body-centered approaches for the treatment of trauma including techniques such as EMDR, IFS and Mindfulness as explained below.
My Counseling Techniques
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- A very useful trauma counseling approach to regulate emotions
- Great for trauma and PTSD
- This technique involves body tapping, vibration devices and bilateral eye movement to help clients process and transform negative memories, images, thoughts, emotions, beliefs and body sensations related to past traumatic events into more positive and healthy ones.
CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy)
- Assist clients to recognise that the way they think (cognition) and act (behaviour) affects the way they feel.
- Clients identify the patterns of their thoughts and behaviours that cause them to feel down or overwhelmed
- They learn to change negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviour patterns to a more realistic, rational and problem -solving approach that promotes wellbeing.
Mindfulness
- A useful approach to keep your awareness focused on and paying attention to the present moment without judgement.
- Great to reduce symptoms related to anxiety and depression by improving mood regulation, mental and physical wellbeing
- Assists clients to understand the link between their thoughts, emotions and sensations. Helps to declutter the mind and clearly focus.
IFS (Internal Family System)
- Family Systems theory acknowledges that individuals cannot be fully understood in isolation from the family unit.
- Assist clients to develop techniques and strategies to effectively address issues within a person’s internal community or family.
- The source of healing is considered within clients therefore I assist clients to access their true ‘inner self’ to heal their wounds.
Solution Focused Therapy
- A goal’s orientated approach that helps clients looks at the present towards the future
- Great at helping clients build upon strengths, skills and access to different type of support.
- Trauma recovery needs to have systematic and combination style of approaches.
IPT (Interpersonal Therapy )
- Assists clients to improve their social function, interpersonal relationships and coping skills to deal with their problems
- Used to treat depression where poor quality relationships with others is often a outcome of depression
- Helps clients recognise patterns in their relationships that make them more vulnerable to depression.
Gottman Couple Therapy
- This integrated research-based intervention is based on the Sound Relationship House Theory.
- The goal of this therapy is to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase affection, intimacy, and respect.
- Great for resolving conflict in couples
Play Therapy
- Assist children to regulate, express, communicate, and master new skills as well as their emotional responses.
- Assist children to deal with traumatic event through symbolic play in a safer way rather than directly confronting the trauma.