Trauma and PTSD

A trauma response can come from a variety of events such as a motor vehicle accident, severe illness or injury, physical or sexual abuse, death in the family, natural disaster, etc. For some, traumatic experiences may take time to heal from.

For those who have experienced trauma, they will often deal with persistent and intrusive memories of the event(s) as they try to focus on their daily activities. They may have nightmares and difficulty sleeping. They may startle easily, feel emotionally numb, be ever alert for signs of danger, and actively avoid anything that reminds them of the event. Talking to someone you trust can often help you heal from traumatic events within a few weeks of the event.

If, however, symptoms of trauma continue to bother you after several weeks, consider getting trauma processing counseling. We know how hard it can be to think about and discuss difficult experiences, which is why we have researched and trained in a treatment approach that allows you to stay in a more balanced frame of mind while doing the work.

We use the Trauma Resiliency Model for treating trauma, as it tends to be gentler than other exposure-based treatments. First, we’ll teach you coping skills to manage the intensity of physical symptoms, and then we’ll sort through the events one step at a time. Though this process can be uncomfortable, you will start to feel better, even early on, as you hone your coping skills.