Trauma-Focused Care

Any event or series of events a person experiences or witnesses that results in long-lasting social, physical, or psychological effects are traumas. Up to 70% of adults in the U.S. will endure a traumatic event. When that event takes a toll on your physical and mental health, it’s time to consult a professional. Most people don’t know that emotional abuse can cause PTSD.

If you’re suffering continued effects from trauma, it’s time to give yourself the tools to move forward. The experienced and licensed therapists at Cyti Psychological offer trauma-focused care using various modalities, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Cyti Psychological care specialists provide 24/7 support, ensuring you can connect with the health you need, anytime.

What Is Trauma-Focused Therapy?

Trauma-focused therapy brings a specific approach that focuses on how traumatic experiences impact a person’s mental, behavioral, emotional, and physical well-being. Trauma-focused treatment takes a multi-faceted approach to treating clients who are experiencing the effects of trauma.

Trauma-focused therapy is particularly sensitive to the unique sets of issues that arise for youths and young-adults who suffer from post-traumatic stress and mood disorders that stem from violence, abuse, or grief. The role of the therapist is to help the individual better understand their situation and provide strategies to express their feelings and cope with potentially stressful situations. Tools to help manage difficult feelings, negative thoughts and behaviors can be a transformational asset to those suffering through these issues day to day. PTSD from emotional abuse is another issue.

People of all ages and walks of life seek out and benefit from trauma-focused therapy, including therapists themselves. Everyone who has been impacted by traumatic events needs someplace to feel safe and supported. A therapist using trauma-focused therapy works with clients to provide them with specific skills and strategies to understand, cope, and process their memories and emotions around their traumatic experiences. Many people have PTSD without knowing.

Who Is Trauma-Focused For?

Trauma-focused therapy is widely recognized as an effective approach to treatment for those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. While anyone who experiences the after-effects of a traumatic experience may benefit from trauma-focused therapy, including people with seemingly trauma-free childhoods, some examples of specific cases Cyti Psychological therapists currently treat include:

Abuse Survivors
Crime Victims
Suicide Survivors
Attempt Survivors
Domestic Violence
First Responders
Veterans & Families
Accident Survivors

What Happens in EMDR Therapy?

EMDR involves eight stages of treatment. The first stage focuses on a client’s history, and the second focuses on preparing them for their treatment by ensuring they have the tools to handle emotional distress.

In the third through sixth stages of treatment, the client focuses on a troubling memory and identifies their belief about themselves in connection with the negative memory. For example, a client may believe they’re at fault as a victim of a crime.

Next, the client determines a positive belief that they want to replace the negative thought. After identifying the physical sensations and emotions associated with the memory, the client then goes over the memory while focusing on an external stimulus that creates side-to-side eye movement. Oftentimes, that bilateral movement is their therapist moving a finger. The process continues until the memory no longer disturbs them.

How Does EMDR Therapy Work?

Usually, when a person experiences trauma, the left side of the brain soothes the right side of the brain. EMDR works under the theory that the brain gets stuck due to the trauma and can’t relieve itself.

The bilateral eye movement of EMDR stimulates both hemispheres of the brain. With both sides of the brain processing the trauma and installing the positive belief to replace the negative one, the stuck portion of the brain during the trauma is bypassed.

Clients process their memories differently in EMDR than they were previously. The new processing allows for a sense of resolution and increased insight into the disturbing event and the negative thoughts from the traumatic event.
While it may work differently than other therapeutic modalities, many studies show the benefits of EMDR as an effective treatment for the symptoms of PTSD.

Read more about EMDR at out EMDR Clinic page.

What Is DBT ?
DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy. It’s a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that teaches people to live in the moment, develop healthy coping strategies for stress and emotional outbursts, and improve their relationships.

DBT is a modified form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that varies from the original treatment in its focus. The overall treatment focuses on stress management, emotion regulation, and healthy interpersonal relationships.

Dialectical behavior therapy places a large emphasis on teaching patients healthy ways to cope with stressors. Stress is a major contributing factor for many patients struggling with any of the conditions and issues that can follow traumic events or life trauma. DBT can be a powerful tool in reovery through trauma-focused therapy.

What Happens in DBT Therapy?
DBT uses a four-stage approach to treating clients. In the first stage, stabilization, the focus is on decreasing self-injurious behaviors and increasing behavioral skills needed to process trauma.
In the second stage, emotional experiencing, the therapist works with the client to decrease post-traumatic stress through formal and informal exposure and decreasing self-stigmatization.
Stage three turns to problems in living, where the focus shifts to increasing self-esteem, achieving goals, and improving relationships and self-reliance. Lastly, stage four, incompleteness, turns the direction to freedom, spiritual fulfillment, and joy.

How Does DBT Work?
DBT uses four stages and four modules. These modules include:

The methodology balances validation and acceptance with changing behaviors and applying new skills and coping strategies. Each module builds on the last, and many clients find DBT to be an effective treatment method for dealing with past trauma and its lingering effects.

Read more about DBT at out DBT Clinic page. When you’re ready, Begin Healing Your Trauma

PTSD and Trauma Recovery

Don't Let the Past Control Your Future

PTSD arising from traumatic events can affect people of any age. PTSD occurs from something you saw or experienced and can be triggered by seemingly ordinary things. While we may be capable of coping with these feelings day-to-day, left unaddressed, they can leave deep psychological scars that color just about every aspect of our lives, eventually affecting our physical health and ability to maintain healthy personal relationships.

Evidence-Based Therapies for PTSD and Trauma

Our licensed therapists are well-trained and experienced in many proven modalities for treating complex PTSD and trauma.

PTSD and trauma may cause you to feel hopeless, fearful, guilty and shameful, angry, sad, or just plain numb. It is common to have panic attacks or feel edgy, jumpy, or detached from the people you love. You may experience “flashbacks” to the traumatic event, both as nightmares and in a waking state. You may attempt to avoid places, people, or activities that remind you of the event, but this may be putting undue strain on your relationships and day-to-day responsibilities.

Working with an experienced PTSD therapist can be life-changing for you. If you are concerned about having to relive your trauma, just know that doing so isn’t always necessary to achieve the results you want. Each patient’s experience is unique. Therefore treatments are individualized to your specific needs and designed to proceed at your pace.

We provide a safe, secure, judgment-free space for you to heal and feel safer in the world.

How Trauma Counseling Helps

Trauma is something almost all of us experience at some point in our lives. For some people, the negative consequences of experiencing a traumatic event subside over time. But for others, the pain and fear of the event linger for months, years, or even decades.

After experiencing trauma, your brain’s structure and chemistry change, making it unable to function correctly. Through trauma counseling, your therapist will help you talk through your emotions and feelings while allowing you to restructure your brain at the same time. By adding new pathways, strengthening connections, and increasing functions, trauma therapy will give you the power to rewire your brain and recover from your past trauma. Trauma will rarely go away on its own.

Find a Complex PTSD Therapist

Our team of licensed PTSD therapists is diverse in every way. To ensure you of the best possible therapeutic fit, we invite you to browse profiles and choose a therapist based on your preferences of gender, age, cultural background, treatments used, or expertise. If you prefer, our Client Support Team will pair you with a PTSD therapist based on your goals and unique concerns. Finding a Complex PTSD Therapist

Your journey to Pain Free Living begins here

Cyti Psychological for Trauma-Focused Care

The skilled and licensed therapists of Cyti Psychological offer clients some of the best options in treating the ongoing effects of trauma. Our therapists are trained and experienced in the most effective and groundbreaking modalities available to break through the destructive cycle of PTSD and other after-effects of trauma.

The skills and support of a trained professional can help you overcome the challenges you face after trauma. So take the first step in restoring your health with Cyti Psychological. Our team includes highly-trained experts who work with patients suffering from all kinds of pain and distress due to unresolved trauma, medical ailments, or mental health concerns. Schedule below or call our offices to get started.

Kari Peel
Ashley Laube
Clint Edwards
Mariam Pandes
Patricia Kovars