Articles for the Topic "Trauma"

A Long Journey Home: A Guide for Creating Trauma-Informed Services for Mothers and Children Experiencing Homelessness

2008-07-14T09:21:33

The Long Journey Home was written as a response to some startling lessons we have learned from the field of homelessness over the last decade. It is intended to serve as a guide to agencies looking for practical ideas about how to create trauma-informed environments. It is best viewed as a template and should be supplemented by your knowledge and expertise regarding the most effective adaptations for working with families in your own program.

Avoiding Retraumatization and Fostering Recovery Among People Experiencing Homelessness

2007-08-16T01:41:54

Re-traumatization is a problem that trauma survivors face frequently and as a services provider being aware of the potential for this to occur is crucial. This article provides information that will aid service providers in becoming more aware and critical when dealing with trauma survivors.

Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents

2007-08-20T11:46:05

The term complex trauma describes the dual problem of children’s exposure to traumatic events and the impact of this exposure on immediate and long-term outcomes. Complex traumatic exposure refers to children’s experiences of multiple traumatic events that occur within the caregiving system – the social environment that is supposed to be the source of safety and stability in a child’s life. Typically, complex trauma exposure refers to the simultaneous or sequential occurrences of child maltreatment—including emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and witnessing domestic violence—that are chronic and begin in early childhood. Moreover, the initial traumatic experiences (e.g., parental neglect and emotional abuse) and the resulting emotional dysregulation, loss of a safe base, loss of direction, and inability to detect or respond to danger cues, often lead to subsequent trauma exposure (e.g., physical and sexual abuse, or community violence). (Authors)

Creating Trauma Services for Women with Co-Occurring Disorders: Experiences from the SAMHSA Women with Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Disorders who have Histories of Violence Study

2007-07-06T04:53:49

This document describes project activities and presents preliminary findings from the process evaluation of the nine sites participating in Phase II of the SAMHSA Women with Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Disorders who have Histories of Violence Study. (Authors).

Dealing with the Effects of Trauma: A Self-Help Guide

2007-07-27T01:36:28

For many years, the traumatic things that happened to people were overlooked as a possible cause of frightening, distressing, and sometimes disabling emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, phobias, delusions, flashbacks, and being out of touch with reality. In recent years, many researchers and health care providers have become convinced of the connection between trauma and these symptoms. they are developing new treatment programs and revising old ones to better meet the needs of people who have had traumatic experiences. This booklet can help you to know if traumatic experiences in your life may be causing some or all of the difficult symptoms you are experiencing. It may give you some guidance in working to relieve these symptoms and share with you some simple and safe things you can do to help yourself heal from the effects of trauma. This booklet contains information, ideas, and strategies that people from all over he country have found to be helpful in relieving and preventing troubling feelings and symptoms. The information in this booklet can be used safely along with other health care treatment. (Author)

Dealing with Trauma in the Asian American/Pacific Islander Community

2007-07-06T01:52:43

The following information was put together by the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association. NAAPIMHA was established with support from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) to advocate on behalf of AAPI mental health issues as well as serve as a forum for effective collaboration and networking between stakeholders of community based organizations, consumers, family members, service providers, program developers, researchers, evaluators and policy makers representing the various ethnic and regional differences. NAAPIMHA will be compiling a directory of AAPI service providers across the country as well as translating fact sheets on various mental health issues into the different Asian Languages. The following fact sheet is a compilation of information gathered from numerous sources including the American Psychological Association, The U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services, Center for Mental Health, The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV), Connect Kids, Children Now, City Cares, and the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I addition, input was received from the Asian Pacific Development Center in Denver, Colorado, the Richmond Area Multi-Services in San Francisco, California, The Asian Pacific Family Center in Rosemean, California, and the Asian Counseling and Referral Services in Seattle, Washington. Resources for other information and contacts for direct services will be listed at the end of this fact sheet. (Authors)

Developing Community Capacity to Respond to Trauma An Interview with Lela Keys

2007-08-17T11:53:32

The National Center for Family Homelessness' Katherine Volk recently caught up with Lela Keys, a lifelong resident of Clarksdale, Mississippi, has spent the past ten years operating community-based health initiatives in Coahoma County in the Mississippi Delta.

Exploring Trauma Among Homeless Men in Treatment for Substance Abuse: A Qualitative Approach

2007-09-25T09:42:50

This paper presents data from qualitative interviews of ten homeless men attending a substance abuse treatment agency in the Southeast. Each subject participated in a one time in-depth qualitative interview focused on his family background, mental health, treatment experiences, and trauma. Qualitative analyses found that this sample of substance abusing homeless men reported a high prevalence of depression, family dysfunction, trauma, and a pattern of several previous treatment experiences for substance abuse and/or mental health. Findings imply that in order to promote long-lasting positive outcomes in substance abuse recovery, mental health stability, and quality of life, treatment professionals need to address complex and interrelated issues that often surround this underserved population. (Authors)

Homelessness as Psychological Trauma: Broadening Perspectives

2007-08-20T11:29:50

Most mental health literature on homelessness has focused on characteristics that may be risk factors for homelessness. L. Goodman et al argue that homelessness itself is a risk factor for emotional disorder and use the construct of psychological trauma -- focusing on social disaffiliation and learned helplessness -- to understand the potential effects of homelessness. Psychological trauma is likely among homeless individuals and families for 3 reasons: (1) The sudden or gradual loss of one's home can be a stressor of sufficient severity to produce symptoms of psychological trauma. (2) The conditions of shelter life may produce trauma symptoms. (3) Many homeless people--particularly women--become homeless after experiencing physical and sexual abuse and consequent psychological trauma. Research suggests that negative psychological responses to traumatic events can be prevented or mitigated by a supportive and empowering posttrauma environment. The implications of trauma theory for improving the psychosocial conditions of homeless people are discussed. (Authors)

In Their Own Words: Trauma and Substance Abuse in the Lives of Formerly Homeless Women with Serious Mental Illness

2007-09-27T01:25:03

In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 formerly homeless mentally ill women to capture their individual life trajectories of mental illness, substance abuse, and trauma in their own words. Cross-case analyses produced 5 themes: (a) betrayals of trust, (b) graphic or gratuitous nature of traumatic events, (c) anxiety about leaving their immediate surroundings (including attending group treatment programs), (d) desire for one's own space, and (e) gender-related status loss and stigmatization. Findings suggest formerly homeless mentally ill women need (and want) autonomy, protection from further victimization, and assistance in restoring status and devalued identity. Avenues for intervention include enhanced provider training, addressing experiences of betrayal and trauma, and more focused attention to current symptoms rather than previous diagnoses. (Authors)

Leading the Way: Pioneering a Future Without Violence: An Interview with Laurie Ahern

2007-08-14T01:51:11

Men's Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (M-TREM): A Clinician's Guide to Working With Male Trauma Survivors in Groups

2007-11-20T04:59:26

This manual guides group leaders through a 24 session trauma recovery process for male survivors. In part I group members develop a shared emotional and relational vocabulary. Part 2 focuses more specifically on abuse and the connections between trauma and psychological symptoms, addictive behavior and relationship patterns. Part three focuses most directly on core recovery skills. (Community Connections)

National Center for Trauma-Informed Care

2007-08-20T12:49:44

CMHS’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) assists publicly-funded agencies, programs, and services in making the important cultural shift to a more trauma-informed environment that benefits both systems and consumers—an environment that is more supportive, comprehensively integrated, and empowering for trauma survivors. (CMHS)

New Directions for Mental Health Services, Using Trauma Theory to Design Service Systems

2007-08-20T12:09:44

Mental health practitioners are becoming increasingly aware that they are encountering a very large number of men and women who are survivors of sexual and physical abuse. This volume identifies the essential elements necessary for a system to begin to integrate an understanding about trauma into its core service programs. The fundamental elements of a trauma-informed system are identified and the necessary supports for bringing about system change are highlighted. The basic philosophy of trauma-informed practice is then examined across several specific service components: assessment and screening, inpatient treatment, residential services, addictions programming, and case management. Modifications necessary to transform a current system into a trauma-informed system are discussed in great detail as well as the changing roles of consumers and providers. This is the 89th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Mental Health Services. (Jossey-Bass)

Organizational Prevention of Vicarious Trauma

2009-02-05T08:34:00

It is easy to identify our immediate responses to a traumatic event in our lives - we may be shocked, saddened, or hurt. Indirect or vicarious trauma can be much harder to identify, but it can carry a significant impact.

Organizational Stress as a Barrier to Trauma-Sensitive Change and Systems Transformation

2007-08-14T10:45:29

This paper explores the notion that organizations are living systems themselves and as such they manifest various degrees of health and dysfunction, analogous to those of individuals. Organizations, like individuals, are vulnerable to the impact of repetitive and/or chronic stress conditions, but since we do not recognize our systems as alive, we treat them as if they were machines, slaves to the whims of current political, social and economic forces. Becoming a truly trauma-informed system therefore requires a process of reconstitution within our organizations top to bottom. It is the job of the staff to become trauma-informed about the impact of past experiences on the evolution of the client’s problems. But it is the shared responsibility of staff and administrators to become “trauma sensitive” to the ways in which past and present overwhelming experiences impact individual performance, leadership styles, and group performance. A system cannot be truly trauma-informed unless the system can create and sustain a process of understanding itself. A program cannot be safe for clients unless it is simultaneously safe for staff and administrators. Lacking such a process, and despite well-intentioned training efforts, there will be no true system transformation in “trauma organized” systems that are now largely repeating, rather than healing, the injuries previously experienced by clients and staff. The author contends that applying concepts from trauma theory to organizational function can serve multiple purposes. While it provides the leaders and staff of the organization a framework for understanding the frequently dysfunctional adaptations they have made to chronic stress, it simultaneously serves to heighten their awareness of the ways in which exposure to chronic stress has impacted their clients and provides a window into the interaction between organizational dysfunction and individual dysfunction. Better identification of the true nature of the problems leads to better approaches to solve those problems. Interestingly, the world of business, at least as it is reflected in the organizational development literature, is far ahead of the social service world in applying group concepts to the workplace. This paper draws on the organizational development and communications literature, much of which has its roots in group dynamics and the therapeutic community, to help us remember and reintegrate knowledge that has been lost from our own systems. (Author)

Physical and Emotional Awareness for Children Who Are Homeless (PEACH) – Helping Children Cope With the Stress of Homelessness

2007-08-14T10:50:56

This resource provides an introduction to PEACH (Physical and Emotional Awareness for Children who are Homeless) program, run by the National Center on Family Homelessness.

Psychological First Aid for Families Experiencing Homelessness: Fostering Resilience Among Displaced, Traumatized Families

2009-11-09T02:36:43

Research suggests that may families facing homelessness---especially women and their children---have experienced traumatic events. By following the guidelines in this resource, shelter providers can help families in crisis feel safe and connect to services---the first step to long-term stability. This product was developed by the Ambit Network, a Minneapolis-based university-community partnership.

The Trauma Center

2007-08-20T01:04:15

Our mission is to help individuals, families and communities that have been impacted by trauma and adversity to re-establish a sense of safety and predictability in the world, and to provide them with state-of-the-art therapeutic care as they reclaim, rebuild and renew their lives. (Trauma Center)

The Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM): Conceptual and Practical Issues in a Group Intervention for Women

2007-09-02T07:43:50

This article describes the Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (TREM), a manualized group intervention designed for women trauma survivors with severe mental disorders, and discusses key issues in its conceptualization and implementation. TREM recognizes the complexity of long-term adaptation to trauma and addresses a range of difficulties common among survivors of sexual and physical abuse. Focusing primarily on the development of specific recovery skills and current functioning, TREM utilizes techniques shown to be effective in trauma recovery services. The group''s content and structure are also informed by the role of gender in the ways women experience and cope with trauma. (Authors)

Traumatic Childhood Takes 20 Years Off Life Expectancy

2009-11-09T02:43:07

This article discusses the averse effects of trauma on life longevity. It provides a review of a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, title: "Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Risk of Premature Mortality."