Summary: <p>Trauma-Informed Care<br> Trauma Awareness<br> Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes, PhD, LPC-MHSP<br> Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox and Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery<br> Objectives<br> ~ Define and differentiate between the different types of trauma (individual, group, mass, natural or human caused)<br> ~ Explore how trauma effects communities and cultures<br> ~ Identify staff and agency issues that could cause retraumatization<br> ~ Explore the objective and subjective characteristics of trauma and their biopsychosocial impact.<br> ~ Identify characteristics that nurture resilience among individuals from diverse groups.<br> Types of Trauma<br> ~ Individual<br> ~ An individual trauma occurs to one person.<br> ~ It can be a single event or multiple or prolonged events (e.g., a life-threatening illness, multiple sexual assaults, first responders, war).<br> ~ Although the trauma directly affects just one individual, others who know the person and/or are aware of the trauma will likely experience emotional repercussions<br> ~ Survivors of individual trauma may not receive the environmental support and concern that members of collectively traumatized groups and communities receive.<br> ~ They are less likely to reveal their traumas or to receive validation of their experiences.<br> ~ Shame distorts their perception of responsibility for the trauma.<br> ~ They struggle with issues of causation<br> ~ They feel isolated by the trauma<br> Types of Trauma<br> ~ In working with clients who have histories of individual trauma, counselors should consider that:<br> ~ Empathy, or putting oneself in the shoes of another, is more potent than sympathy (expressing a feeling of sorrow for another person).<br> ~ Some clients need to briefly describe the trauma(s) they have experienced, particularly in the early stages of recovery.<br> ~ Intensive exploration should wait until the client is more prepared<br> ~ Understanding the trauma should begin with educating the client about and normalizing trauma-related symptoms, creating a sense of safety within the treatment environment, and addressing how trauma symptoms may interfere with the client’s life in the present.<br> ~ It is helpful to examine how the trauma affects opportunities to recover(e.g., by limiting one’s willingness to share in in group).<br> ~ Identifying and exploring strengths in the client’s history can help the client apply those strengths to his or her ability to function in the present.</p> <p>Types of Trauma<br> ~ Group<br> ~ “Group trauma” refers to traumatic experiences that affect a particular group of people<br> ~ Groups often share a common identity and history, as well as similar activities and concerns. (vocational groups who specialize in managing traumas or who routinely place themselves in harm’s way)<br> ~ examples of group trauma include crews and their families who lose members from a commercial fishing accident, a gang whose members experience multiple deaths and injuries, teams of firefighters who lose members in a roof collapse, responders who attempt to save flood victims, and military service members in a specific theater of operation.<br> ~ Group members who have had traumatic experiences in the past may not actively support traumatized colleagues for fear that acknowledging the trauma will increase the risk of repressed trauma-related emotions surfacing.<br> Types of Trauma<br> ~ Group<br> ~ Survivors of group trauma can have different experiences and responses than survivors of individual or mass traumas.<br> ~ Likely to experience repeated trauma.<br> ~ Tend to keep the trauma experiences within the group, feeling that others outside the group will not understand<br> ~ Members may encourage others in the group to shut down emotionally and repress their traumatic<br> ~ Group members may not want to seek help and may discourage others from doing so out of fear that it may shame t</p>
