“Trauma informed” has been a buzz phrase in medical circles for the past few years. Everyone needs to be trauma informed – that is not in question. Yet, not everyone is.
But another question to consider: is “trauma informed” enough?
You could say that you are “diabetes informed”. But does that mean you can treat diabetes? Of course not. Or any other physical or emotional situation.
Informed is a good start, but it is not ability to treat. It does not equip to improve healing and outcomes. It breaks my heart to hear a client come to me saying “my therapist said I have trauma so she can’t treat me.” At least the therapist was aware of limitations, but why weren’t they also equipped? There are reasons, so don’t blame the therapist. At least not totally.
A mental health therapist has at least a Master’s level training and licenses. This is time consuming, difficult and expensive work. Unfortunately, very few if any programs include training on identifying and then actually treating trauma, and definitely not beyond cognitive work, aka talk therapy.
Add to that the fact that medical science is expanding and changing our understanding of the effects of trauma not only on the brain but also on the body by leaps and bounds every year . . . .
Each therapist needs to determine what areas they feel they can best serve and specialize in those areas, hopefully expanding and honing their skills to grown more effective over time. Trauma work is no exception. In fact, it is highly specialized and requires considerable advanced (post-graduate) study. Not all are willing – not all are even aware. In addition, working with trauma takes a significant toll on the therapist. So not all are able.
At TADAS Counseling, we strive to go far beyond “Trauma Informed” and be “Trauma Equipped”. What does this mean? It means we are likely to identify when trauma is affecting you even if you haven’t made the discovery yet. It also means that we are ready, willing and able to work with you to relieve the undesirable effects far beyond talking about it. We can support and guide you as you face things that were too overwhelming alone.
We are on a two-fold mission: 1) to relieve the suffering so many experienced in the aftermath of trauma; and 2) equip our therapists to go above and beyond in their knowledge and skill to walk your healing path with you.
Do you have a need for a Trauma Equipped therapist? Let’s just talk about what you are hoping to experience – book your free phone consultation at 248-284-6050. We’re ready to help.
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