|
|
What is trauma?
Trauma can happen when a person experiences a real or perceived threat to their own well-being or to the well-being of another, accompanied by feelings of helplessness, fear and terror. Trauma has had many names over the years, including shell shock, gross stress reaction and transient situational disturbance. Now, trauma is commonly referred to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is defined in the DSM IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) published by the American Psychiatric Association as a person re-experiencing the traumatic event in one or more of the following ways:
Intrusions, including one or more of the following: recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, images, thoughts, perceptions, flashbacks or nightmares. In young children this may be expressed through repetitive play of themes or aspects of the traumatic event.
Avoidance, including three or more of the following: staying away from places or people that may trigger reminders the event, numbing of general responsiveness, inability to remember specific aspects of the trauma, diminished interest in activities, feelings of hopelessness for the future or feelings of detachment from others.
Hyperarousal, including two or more of the following: persistent physiological symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, irritability and anger outbursts, agitation, hypervigilance or an increased startle response.
Not all people experiencing a traumatic event will need intervention, however, if some of these symptoms have persisted longer than one month, a medical professional should be consulted, and consideration should be given to counseling. Many people who have experienced a traumatic event may benefit from a simple debriefing which takes a person (or group of people) through the event in a very safe and structured manner.
Structured Sensory Intervention
Having trained at The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Michigan, I work with both children and adults using a combination of art therapy and the SITCAP model (Structured Sensory Intervention for Children,Adults and Parents), developed by Dr. William Steele, Director of the National Institute for Trauma & Loss and Melvyn Raider, PhD. This intervention is detailed in the institute's journal, Trauma & Loss: Research and Interventions. A brief summary is as follows:
"The SITCAP programs address ten major trauma reactions: fear, terror, worry, hurt, anger, revenge, accountability, powerlessness, absence of safety, and victim thinking versus survivor thinking. Primary intervention strategies include exposure, trauma narrative, and cognitive reframing. Drawing is a major component of exposure. The trauma narrative is facilitated with the use of trauma specific questions, and educational materials facilitate cognitive reframing. Each intervention is structured for the purpose of creating a sense of safety for the child, adolescent, or parent while re-experiencing, re-telling, and re-framing of major trauma reactions. The restoration of a sense of safety and power is of primary concern in each program. The activities are primarily sensory activities, as trauma is experienced at a sensory level not a cognitive level. The structure of the intervention, however, directs those sensory experiences into a cognitive framework, which can then be reordered in a way that is manageable and empowering."
Why SITCAP Programs Are Unique
They can be applied to either violence-induced trauma or non-perpetrated, non-assaultive trauma-inducing incidents.
They are brief interventions designed to meet the unique intervention parameters in school settings where children are most accessible or to support more clinically focused interventions in agency settings.
The program addresses both grief and trauma-specific reactions.
Each program is very structured in its directions, interventions, and activities to sequentially and systematically ensure the individual is given the opportunity to safely address each of the major themes of trauma.
Each program provides educational materials related to trauma and the interventions which are beneficial to the recovery process.
The model focuses on trauma reactions: fear, terror, worry, hurt, anger, revenge, accountability, powerlessness, absence of safety, and being a survivor versus a victim, rather than symptoms.
The model encourages parental involvement through specifically structured sessions designed to obtain necessary information and to allow parents to witness how the trauma has impacted their child.
A specific eight session program also helps those parents who themselves have been traumatized and need assistance to recover from their own trauma exposure.
Exposure is accomplished through structured drawing activities, developing the trauma narrative through asking trauma specific questions, and cognitive reframing through use of the reflective statements.
The model is outcome driven. A PTSD questionnaire identifies initial reactions and their severity levels and provides a baseline to compare final outcomes with initial assessment.
For more information, please feel free to contact me by telephone at 519-319-6852 or by email to
barbdesjardins@gmail.com
|
|
