Trauma is an emotional response to terrible events like acts of violence, accidents, and natural disasters. As a therapist, you can play an important role in helping your clients to work through trauma in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event.
Here are a few important things to keep in mind:
1. Re-establish security and safety
Traumatic events often shake our sense of security, leaving us feeling vulnerable and afraid. Re-establishing that lost sense of safety is essential in the aftermath of trauma.
If the event your client experienced is being covered by the media, establishing security may include limiting their exposure to media coverage of the event which can often be re-traumatizing. You may also teach your client calming practices like deep breathing and mindfulness meditation to activate your client’s parasympathetic nervous system which works to counteract the trauma response of the sympathetic nervous system.
For younger clients, ask them what they understand about what happened, and clear up any misunderstandings they may have. Outlining the facts of the event can help to mitigate fears and promote a sense of control instead of chaos. Discuss what adults are doing and will continue to do to keep them safe.
It may be necessary to consult with the child’s parents to discuss strategies for creating a safe and relaxing environment for their child. Children will pick up on their parents’ fear, so it can be important for parents to learn to regulate their own expression of anxiety and fear around their children.
2. Be aware of post-traumatic stress symptoms
Trauma responses will look different across individuals. Shock and denial are typical initial responses to trauma, and as the person continues to process the event, a wide range of emotional and behavioral responses are possible. Some changes in mood and behavior are normal and to be expected in the wake of a traumatic event, but these changes should be monitored.
Children may exhibit separation anxiety, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, and/or physical symptoms like stomach aches or headaches. People of all ages may feel anxious, depressed, angry, agitated or irritated in the aftermath of a traumatic event. While some people may appear more withdrawn, others may seek out more support. For a complete list of possible trauma responses, refer to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If changes in mood and behavior persist for more than a month and are impairing the person’s functioning, treatment interventions should be considered.
3. Practice self-care to prevent burnout
Helping clients through trauma is emotionally heavy work. Listening to the details of traumatic stories can evoke secondary trauma, and compassion fatigue can also play a role in burnout for therapists working with traumatized clients.
It’s important that as a therapist doing this kind of work you are also prioritizing your own self-care. Be aware of the possible impacts of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue on your own professional effectiveness and quality of life. Consulting with colleagues or supervisors can be an important component in self-care for therapists, along with maintaining healthy boundaries around work to promote a healthy work-life balance.
