4 Types Of Care That Trauma Therapists Can Provide To Children
Posted on: 13 September 2022
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Kids can develop trauma responses as a result of mistreatment, violence, health conditions, and other life circumstances. Traumatized children may struggle to do well in school. They may also struggle to control their emotions, which can be hard for parents and caretakers to handle. Trauma therapy can help kids learn to deal with their emotions and reduce the lingering effects of trauma in kids' lives. These are four types of care that trauma therapists can provide for kids that have experienced trauma:
1. Trauma Assessment
It can be hard to tell what type of care children need at first glance. Trauma can be difficult to assess, but children's therapists are skilled at drawing kids into conversations where their mental health can be assessed. Therapists can provide trauma assessments to kids and teenagers. The assessment process can help mental health care providers ascertain the type of trauma a child has sustained. It can also help to pinpoint the best type of treatment for a patient, depending on their culture, religion, ethnicity, and other factors that may be relevant to their treatment.
2. Individual Therapy
Individual therapy is often indicated for older children and teenagers who have experienced trauma. Individual counseling sessions allow kids the opportunity to express themselves without fear of getting in trouble or being judged by their parents or caretakers. During individual therapy, trauma-aware counselors can employ techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy to increase kids' resiliency and help them to overcome anxiety, anger, fear, and other emotional responses to trauma.
3. Family Therapy
Family therapy can help families who have experienced trauma together. It can also help parents learn to better support their children who have undergone traumatic experiences. The type of therapy indicated for your situation will depend on your family's current issues, skills, and needs. Some forms of trauma-aware family therapy focus on teaching parents to identify their kids' emotional needs through their behaviors and respond appropriately. In all cases, family therapy will strive to strengthen the connections between kids and their family members in order to provide children with strong support systems. Family bonds are often essential to helping kids overcome trauma.
4. Low-Cost Treatment
Sometimes, kids' needs exceed the resources available to them. Some organizations and therapists provide low-cost treatment to children in low-income families. Affordable treatment allows children to access the mental health care they need, regardless of their families financial status. Some trauma treatment programs offer sliding scale fees to increase community access to mental health care.