INTRODUCTION
u Prevalence of psychological trauma in youth
u Common types of trauma
IMPACT AND EFFECTS OF TRAUMA
u Factors impacting the severity of the trauma response
u Long-term effects of interpersonal trauma
u “Trauma aftershocks,” and how professionals can start to have an impact
u The “good news” and “bad news” about the effects of trauma
ISSUES IN DIAGNOSIS
u Diagnosis of trauma responses
• stress disorders (PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder)
• dissociative disorders
• other diagnoses related to trauma
• the “comorbidity” issue
• proposed diagnostic changes in the DSM-V related to trauma
TRAUMA, DISSOCIATION, AND THE HYPERAROUSAL RESPONSE
u What the hyperarousal response means and how it works
u Dissociation and trauma
u Gender differences in response to trauma
u Fight, flight, and fright modes
• what happens in each mode
• why youth can’t use coping skills when hyperaroused
• how hyperarousal can be “addictive”
THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMA
u Overview of the brain (as it relates to trauma and hyperarousal)
u Brain functions relevant to trauma treatment
u Effects of trauma on the brain
TRAUMA-FOCUSED TREATMENT: OVERVIEW
u The three phases of trauma treatment
• understanding issues in the first phase of trauma treatment
w the importance of education (of client, parents, teachers, and significant others)
w grounding, coping, and healthy endorphin-releasing techniques for the first phase
w helping the youth shift from a “survival brain” to a “learning brain”
w when is the youth ready for the second phase?
• applying second phase principles in youth
w adapting trauma processing techniques based on developmental level
w when is the youth ready for the third phase?
• applying the principles of reintegration (third phase) with youth
w family work and focusing on the future
w when is the third phase completed?
DIGGING DEEPER INTO TREATMENT: AN INTEGRATED, EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH
u Current research evidence
u Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and its variants
• components of TF-CBT
• creating the Trauma Narrative
• cognitive processing in TF-CBT
u The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT)
• overview of NMT
• principles of NMT
• NMT interventions for different developmental levels
u The ARC Model: Attachment, Regulation, & Competency
• key building blocks in the ARC model
• the Attachment domain
• the Self-regulation domain
• the Competency domain
• trauma integration in the ARC model
MEDICATIONS FOR TRAUMA SYMPTOMS IN YOUTH
u Recent research
u Recommended medications for complex trauma and comorbid disorders in youth
u Concerns, issues, and limitations of medications for trauma
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL PROVIDED IN THE COURSE MANUAL:
u Appendix A: General Principles oOf Trauma-Informed
Intervention
u Appendix B: Assessment oOf Trauma aAnd Developmental Level
• aAreas to cover and tools to use in a trauma assessment
• iImportant, often overlooked, components of a trauma assessment
• Hhow to determine types of interventions to use
In 20 years of attending seminars on the topic of trauma, this is by far the best in terms of content and presentation. Highly recommended.
Charlie Sattenfield, Family Therapist
Best presentation on complex trauma I have attended. Material was presented very concisely, on a professional level, and adapted to educate kids and caregivers.
Angela Langford, Licensed Professional Counselor
Dr. Rob provides numerous great illustrations that make the concepts come alive. His compassion and dedication to his patients and his creativity are very apparent. He covers the topics very thoroughly.
Karen Cacossa, Occupational Therapist