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Trauma Focused Therapies
Sadly, many people experience events so traumatic that they have a lasting, distressing impact. While we all struggle with adversity at times, and find our own individual ways of coping, some events can continue to have a devastating psychological effect on people in the present. Research into the psychological and biological effects of trauma has demonstrated that focused psychological approaches can help alleviate its impact.
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It is natural to want to block out the memory of bad events, yet we know that this does not help and tends to prolong suffering. Trauma-focused therapies help us to think about the trauma and its effect in a way that is manageable. I am trained in three trauma-focused therapies: trauma-focused cognitive therapy, schema therapy and EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing). Schema therapy was developed to help clients with childhood trauma. Trauma-focused cognitive therapy and EMDR were developed originally for single incident adult trauma. As a clinical psychologist, I will only use a trauma-focused approach after assessing whether it is appropriate for the client.
Thinking about our worst experiences is hard and trauma focused therapy takes courage. I make sure the client understands the rationale for the approach taken, and will only proceed with therapy, step by step, with the client's understanding and consent. Using evidence-based trauma-focused therapy, I have had the privilege of helping many people manage their past and move on with their lives.​