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Trauma-Focused Therapy &

PTSD Treatments

What's the Difference Between Trauma & PTSD?

Trauma doesn't always lead to PTSD...

TRAUMA

Everyone will encounter stress throughout our daily lives. However, when strong emotional responses to an extremely distressing or disturbing event overwhelms a person's ability to cope with it,  it’s  considered to be traumatic. It becomes very difficult to live as one did before the event(s) occurred.

TRAUMA & PTSD

While trauma doesn’t always directly lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it's helpful for those who have witnessed or experienced trauma, and their loved ones, to know the signs and symptoms of PTSD, how it's treated, and when to seek help. A trauma-event is time-based, while PTSD is a longer-term condition.

PTSD

Trauma varies in severity and it's impact on daily life.  About one in three people who experience severe trauma also experience PTSD.

PTSD is a condition that can apply to anyone who has witnessed or experienced traumatic, life-threatening, or life-changing events. With PTSD, one continues to re-experience the event long after it's over.

PTSD PREVALENCE

According to the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD is a common condition affecting 10% of women and 4% of men at some point in their lives. About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives. 

We Specialize in Therapy for Trauma & PTSD in Brentwood

Causes

  • Sexual assault

  • Domestic violence

  • Childhood abuse/neglect

  • Natural Disasters

  • Community violence

  • Medical/Health-Related Trauma

  • Traumatic Grief

  • Moral Injury

  • Social Isolation or Relational Issues

  • ​Financial Uncertainty

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Symptoms

  • Depression, or mood swings

  • Panic and anxiety

  • Confusion, difficulty concentrating

  • Shame, guilt, self-blame

  • Feeling Numb & Disconnected

  • Isolating

  • Relationship Issues

  • Fatigue

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Muscle tension

PTSD Symptoms

Trauma can come as a one-time event or as a prolonged series of events.

What is Trauma-Focused Therapy?

Trauma-focused therapy is a specific approach to therapy that focuses on understanding how traumatic events can effect our mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, and spiritual well-being. Trauma-focused therapies are  used to treat trauma-related symptoms & PTSD symptoms.

 

The purpose of trauma-focused therapy is to offer skills and strategies to better process the emotions and memories tied to traumatic events. This would support the end goal of creating a healthier and more adaptive meaning of the experiences that have taken place. 

What Does Trauma-Focused Therapy Look Like ?

To date, the National Center for PTSD's Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) lists Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and EMDR as among those trauma-focused therapies with the strongest evidence from clinical trials. However, the greatest number of studies have been conducted on exposure-based treatments, and Prolonged Exposure Therapy is considered a gold-standard PTSD treatment:

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Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE): 

PE teaches you to gradually approach trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations that you have been avoiding since your trauma.

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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT):

CPT focuses on how your thinking has been impacted by the trauma and teaches you to take a look at your thoughts and help you progress toward recovery.​

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Written Exposure Therapy (WET):

WET is a brief, evidence-based PTSD treatment that involves writing about trauma reminders. WET is a five-session protocol, with each session lasting about 50 minutes and typically held once a week. 

PTSD Treatments
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