In order to understand trauma, we must first consider, what does trauma mean? Nowadays, the term ‘trauma’ is often used loosely to refer to an event or experience that is emotionally upsetting or distressing. For example, you may hear someone discussing a ‘hair trauma’ when they are having a ‘bad hair day’. On the other hand, you may have come across deeply distressing trauma narratives that ... »
This article describes the practical experience of an imagery rescript from schema therapy, and also discusses some of the evidence for this approach in treating trauma or schemas which originated in childhood. »
Compassion Fatigue (CF), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and Vicarious Trauma (VT) have all been highlighted in the research literature as risks for counsellors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (Sutton, et al, 2022). In the current post-pandemic era, burnout amongst mental health workers is a subject more prevalent than ever and subsequently has been studied widely in practit... »
There are many things that influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing including poverty, racism and disregard for traditional practices. The ongoing effects of colonisation have created a burden that extends across generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities. The determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander soc... »
To understand trauma, we must first consider: what does trauma mean? This article defines trauma and investigates its prevalence, impacts and associated risk factors. »
Domestic and family violence is a pattern of abusive behaviour that involves one person seeking to control and dominate another person. It is not the same as conflict. In this article, we explore some definitions, common terms and statistics around this topic. »
Read the first part of this article series here. Here’s a question: What therapy is fairly new to the scene, works in non-traditional ways, and is showing itself to be as effective as some gold standard therapies, but in less time? If you answered “EMDR” – Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy – you are right [...] »
In this article, we explore what Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is, how it works, which conditions are being treated with it, and what’s involved in each of its eight phases. A companion piece offers a snapshot of research conducted so far, outlines the main effects the therapy induces, and notes the requirements for EMDR certification, should you decide that it would be a us... »
The Australian bushfire crisis has impacted millions, putting individuals, families and entire communities at higher risk of trauma and psychological/emotional distress. »
Any activities, attitudes, or beliefs which perpetuate myths about domestic violence are dangerous. They encourage social acceptance of the problem, which engenders apathy, but even more insidiously, they lead women and the minority of men being abused to justify, minimise, or deny the violence which is occurring to them. When they do that, they are prevented from acknowledging that they are in a ... »
If your client was suffering from trauma, which approach would you choose to help them? In this post we explore eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, or EMDR. »
In recent years, many disaster response experts and mental health researchers have switched their focus from looking exclusively at at-risk populations in the aftermath of an emergency to asking, “What are the protective factors?” “What situations, experiences, or personal traits help people to come through a traumatic incident with greater resilience?” First, let’s c... »
If you were to have a traumatised client, which type of therapy would you choose to treat them? On what would you base your decision? While the therapy-types on offer to treat PTSD abound, three different types of psychotherapeutic approaches come up again and again in the literature as workable and appropriate for trauma. These are: cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), eye movement de-sensitisati... »
If you had to endure a traumatic event – say, dangerous flooding, an out-of-control bushfire, or being caught up in terrorism – would you want to talk about your experiences later? Would you believe that it would help you to heal from them if you did? Early models for treating trauma asked clients to do this, insisting that the cure was in the retelling. Just around the millennium, however, resear... »
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