Therapists who qualify as “trauma focused” have the skills and training to directly treat trauma and dissociation. They have awareness of different types of traumas and how those traumas will affect a person’s nervous system, coping systems, thinking systems, and emotional system (body-mind-emotion). They are trained in specific therapies designed to help you process, integrate, and heal from past wounds.
You may have heard the term “Trauma informed,” which means holding an understanding of the role of trauma and ensuring a supportive environment in treatment settings. A key element of this is “addressing the interaction of trauma with culture, history, race, gender, location, and language.” (NCTSN.org) Another core value in trauma-informed work is preventing re-traumatization during the treatment process.
Our program integrates all of these foundational elements of trauma informed therapy, but moves one step further to truly trauma focused therapy. We are not only aware of the intersectional reality of trauma, we offer a path towards healing. Rather than an approach that understands but does not directly target trauma, our sessions, groups, and treatment planning processes are directly focused on resolving the trauma behind the symptoms.
