CBT
for
Trauma
Life can, sometimes, throw shocking events our way. If an event involves a person being exposed to actual or threatened death, serious injury, physical, emotional, or sexual violence, then such an event is regarded by clinical psychologists as a traumatic event, or ‘trauma’. Experiences like these may involve a single traumatic event, or they may be repeated and/or prolonged traumatic experiences.
Therapy for KIDS
Psychonline4u offers therapy, not only to adults and adolescents, but also to young
children (5-12), while at the same time enlisting their parents as ‘coaches’ for their
child.
Symptoms of traumatic experiences
Many people who have been exposed to traumatic events manage to cope reasonably well with them, and eventually ‘get over’ them. This is more so the case with ‘once off’, single traumatic events (such as a serious traffic accident, physical or sexual assault, the sudden death of a loved one, distressing medical intervention, some natural disaster, as well as ‘near misses’ of all such events).
On the other hand, people who have suffered repeated and prolonged traumatic experiences, as is the case with emotional and/or physical, and/or sexual abuse, are less likely to simply ‘get over’ these damaging experiences, and recover fully, without proper treatment.However, even a single traumatic event can result in a person developing distressing symptoms that are clearly related to their traumatic experience.
Often this involves one or more of the following: recurrent distressing memories of the traumatic event(s); recurrent distressing dreams (nightmares) that are related to the traumatic event(s); feeling or acting as if the traumatic event is ‘happening all over again’ (so-called ‘flashbacks’); avoidance of persons, objects or situations that are associated with the traumatic event(s); heightened arousal (in the form irritable behaviour and angry outbursts, being constantly ‘on the look-out’ for possible danger or threat, being easily startled, poor concentration and disturbed sleep).
This pattern of symptoms is known as a ‘posttraumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD). In addition, symptoms of other mental health problems, notably of anxiety and depression, may also develop, in the aftermath of trauma.
Symptoms of traumatic experiences
Many people who have been exposed to traumatic events manage to cope reasonably well with them, and eventually ‘get over’ them. This is more so the case with ‘once off’, single traumatic events (such as a serious traffic accident, physical or sexual assault, the sudden death of a loved one, distressing medical intervention, some natural disaster, as well as ‘near misses’ of all such events). However, even a single traumatic event can result in a person developing distressing symptoms that are clearly related to their traumatic experience.
And, people who have suffered repeated and prolonged traumatic experiences, as is the case with emotional and/or physical, and/or sexual abuse, are certainly less likely to simply ‘get over’ these damaging experiences, and recover fully, without proper treatment.
Symptons of trauma involves one or more of the following: recurrent distressing memories of the traumatic event(s); recurrent distressing dreams (nightmares) that are related to the traumatic event(s); feeling or acting as if the traumatic event is ‘happening all over again’ (so-called ‘flashbacks’); avoidance of persons, objects or situations that are associated with the traumatic event(s); heightened arousal (in the form irritable behaviour and angry outbursts, being constantly ‘on the look-out’ for possible danger or threat, being easily startled, poor concentration and disturbed sleep).
This pattern of symptoms is known as a ‘posttraumatic stress disorder’ (PTSD). In addition, symptoms of other mental health problems, notably of anxiety and depression, may also develop, in the aftermath of trauma.
Breaking the vicious circle
Can PsychOnline4u help you recover from a traumatic experience? Yes, in many cases we can. In recent decades, several methods, based on CBT, have been developed to treat the symptoms of PTSD, and of traumatic experiences in general. One of these is known as Prolonged Exposure Therpy, abbreviated as PET.
Another, often highly effective treatment for trauma is a method known as Eye Movement- Desensitization and Reprocessing, abbreviated as EMDR. PsychOnline4u can offer both PET and EMDR to help people recover from a traumatic experience and reclaim their mental health.
And, we do so online, in live treatment sessions with an experienced psychologist, who has been trained in CBT, EMDR, and PET. In other words, you can do your trauma therapy in the privacy of your own home, with all the practical advantages that has to offer!
Breaking the vicious circle
Can PsychOnline4u help you recover from a traumatic experience? Yes, in many cases we can. In recent decades, several methods, based on CBT, have been developed to treat the symptoms of PTSD, and of traumatic experiences in general. One of these is known as EMDR (Eye Movement- Desensitization and Reprocessing).
Another, often highly effective treatment for trauma is a method known as PET (Prolonged Exposure Therapy). PsychOnline4u can offer either PET or EMDR to help people recover from a traumatic experience and reclaim their mental health.
You do your trauma therapy in live online sessions with an experienced psychologist, who has been trained in CBT, EMDR, and PET. And you do so from the comfort and privacy of your own home, with all the practical advantages that has to offer!
Overcome trauma
To learn more about trauma, and about how PsychOnline4u uses online guided CBT to help people break the vicious circle of their trauma, so that they can bounce back to mental health, you can request our free e-book ‘Overcome Trauma’.
Overcome trauma
To learn more about trauma, and about how PsychOnline4u can help you break the vicious circle of trauma, so that you can bounce back to good mental health, you can request our free e-book ‘Overcome Trauma’.
ACT FOR KIDS WITH ANXIETY AND/OR DEPRESSION
Are you the parent of a child (5–12), who finds it difficult to manage intense emotions, such as anxiety, or depression? And, does your child tend to dread, avoid, or perhaps withdraw from everyday situations, situations with which all young children have to learn to deal with? If so, PsychOnline4u can help. We offer therapy directly to your child, while at the same time enlisting you, the parent, as his/her ‘personal coach’.
What we offer here is a relatively new form of CBT, known as ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). ACT is a very practical therapy, and includes skills that are simple enough for your young child to learn. Children learn how to accept their difficult emotions, such as anxiety or depression. They also develop an important skill called psychological flexibility. This skill will enable them to become more resilient, and cope more effectively with the normal challenges of everyday life.
And, last but not least: you, the parent(s), will be actively involved in your child’s therapy. Being your child’s ‘personal coach’ means that you can give them support in managing their difficult emotions. And, at the same time, you can actively encourage your child to put the skills they are learning into practice, by approaching, rather than avoiding, those situations that they find challenging.
FREE ONLINE CONSULTATION
If you are wondering whether our online support, using either PET or EMDR, might be a suitable approach for your particular problems of trauma, you can request a (once-off) free 15 minute online consultation (by voice or video, whichever you prefer) to discuss this, as well as any other specific queries you may have. Once again, you can do so by using either the contact form, or the email address, on the website.
TIP: But, before you request our free 15 minute consultation, we think it would probably be handy if you first read the information in our free e-book ‘CBT for Trauma’. That way, you can make your queries more specific.
Finally: the scope of guided CBT for reducing mental health problems such as the symptoms of mild to moderate anxiety disorders, depression, or trauma, is obvious. Research has shown that self-help resources, based on CBT, can be effective in tackling these problems, and even more so when these resources are combined with support from a professional trained in CBT.
However, some people struggle with severe levels of these psychological problems. In those cases, guided CBT will not be adequate in addressing their mental health needs. More intensive forms of treatment will usually be required, of the kind provided in regular face-to-face therapy!
That’s why we, at PsychOnline4u, first do an initial assessment: to identify both the nature and severity of a person’s mental health problem, so that we can decide whether our guided CBT would be sufficient, or whether more intensive treatment is required. If our assessment indicates that the latter is indeed the case, then we will discuss this with the person in question, and advise them to seek more intensive treatment.
And we will do this, as much as possible, in close cooperation with their GP. This is explained in more detail on the website, in the information about Assessment, and also in our Terms and Conditions.
