Trauma and Abuse
Information & Educational Resources
National Institute of Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Information about PTSD including causes, signs & symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatments. Includes information about clinical trials and living with someone that has PTSD.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Mayo Clinic: Definition, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Causes, Treatments, etc.
Also, see Trauma in Education and Professional Development, MHAP
Prevention and Early Intervention Programs
Traumatic expereiences are sometimes unavoidable.
Psychological flexibility and resilience and having good social support are very helpful resources in coping with trauma and avoiding prolonged negative effects.
Programs, such as "Say It Straight," that intervene early in helping someone reduce risky behaviors that increase the chance of a traumatic experience can be helpful with at-risk populations.
Programs that help families avoid and/or address violence in the home are also helpful. For example, see:
- Violence Prevention,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention covers child maltreatment, elder abuse, global violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, suicide, youth violence, social and News Media
- VetoViolence: Help Stop Violence Before It Happens, Centers for Disease Control
- Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Treatment Programs
There are a broad range of psychotherapy models and treatment programs that treat trauma related stress and anxiety. See treatments for Anxiety. In particular, the below treatments were designed to address trauma:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
- Emotional Brain Training
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD
- Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy
- Trauma Recovery and Empowerment Model (for female trauma survivors)
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Taumatic Incident Reduction
Self-Help Resources
Books
Bass, Ellen and Davis, Laura, The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, William Morrow Paperbacks, 2008
Beckner, Victoria Lemle and Arden, John B., Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Fair Winds Press, 2008.
Davis, Laura, The Courage to Heal Workbook: A Guide for Women and Men Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, Harper Perennial, 1990
Meichenbaum, Roadmap to Resilience, Institute Press, 2012
Williams, Mary Bet and Poijula, Soili, The PTSD Workbook: Simple, Effective Techniques for Overcoming Traumatic Stress Symptoms, New Harbinger Publications, 2013
Videos/Podcasts
Childhood Trauma and the Process of Healing, by Daniel Mackler (59 minute video)
ACT for Coping with Trauma and PTSD with Robyn Walser (podcast)
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