What is Trauma-Focused Therapy?

Trauma-Focused Therapy is an evidence based approach to therapy that recognizes and emphasizes understanding how a traumatic experience impacts an individual’s mental, behavioral, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. This type of therapy is rooted in understanding the connection between the trauma experience and the one’s emotional and behavioral responses. The purpose of trauma-focused therapy is to offer skills and strategies to assist one in better understanding, coping with, processing emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences, with the end goal of enabling yourself  to create a healthier and more adaptive meaning of the experience that took place in your life.

 

Core components of TF-CBT include:

• Psychoeducation

• Relaxation 

• Affective regulation

• Cognitive processing of the trauma

• Trauma narrative

• Enhancing future safety and development

 

The success of TF-CBT relies heavily on a trusting, genuine therapeutic relationship between therapist and the client. 

 

What types of challenges are best suited for Trauma Focused Therapy?

The goal of this therapy is to help survivors of trauma, whether the trauma was a single occurrence or multiple events, address and resolve the distress resulting from these events:

 

• Sexual Abuse

• Physical Abuse

• Domestic Violence

• Death of a loved one

• Natural Disasters

• Medical Illness or procedures