Trauma Group proposal PowerPoint
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Trauma can be defined as
an event or series of events
that involve fear or threat
National child traumatic stress network, https://www.Nctsn.Org/.
Traumatization
Occurs When
Both internal and external
resources are inadequate to
cope with external threat.
(Kolk & Ducey, 1989)
WHAT CAUSES TRAUMA ?
 Physical Abuse
 Witnessing a War, Genocide
 Emotional Abuse
 Neglect (Emotional or Physical)
 Natural disasters (hurricane, fire, flood)
 Parental Mental Health Issues (depression, suicides, addictions &
substance abuse, institutionalized parent(s), incarcerated
parent(s),)
 Sexual Abuse
 Domestic Violence
 Grief due to sudden death of a loved one
(Kolk & Ducey, 1989)
Trauma can
happen as:



A single event
A reoccurring/strain
trauma
Complex trauma
Types of Trauma

Natural disasters: fires, hurricanes, floods

Human-caused disasters: environmental disasters, accidents, acts of
terrorism, wars

Community violence: Shootings, hate crimes, robberies, gang related
violence, assault, group trauma affecting a particular community

School violence: school shootings, threats, fights, loss of a school
community member, bullying
National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). Types
of trauma. Retrieved from
http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types
Types of Trauma

Family trauma: abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing
domestic violence, incarceration of family members, family
substance abuse, sudden or expected loss of a loved one

Refugee and Immigrant trauma: exposure to war, political
violence, torture, forced displacement, migration and
acculturation stressors, fears of deportation

Medical trauma: pain, injury and serious illness; invasive medical
procedures or treatments

Poverty: lack of resources, support networks, or mobility; financial
stressors; homelessness
Prevalence of Trauma
Mental Health Population - US
• 90% of mental patients have trauma
• Most people experiences multiple trauma experiences
97 % of homeless women have experienced physical
& sexual abuse, and 87% abused both in childhood
and adulthood
• Histories of Trauma are pervasive from diverse
cultural backgrounds).
(Goodman et al., 1999)
What does this tell us?
•
The majority of patients undergoing
psychiatric treatment have trauma.
•
Many people with substance abuse disorders
Trauma symptoms that affects stability.
•
A large percentage of people imprisoned
have trauma histories.
(Goodman et al., 1999)
Therefore…
We need to handle patients with a history of traumatic disorders,
with required universal precautions by creating interventions that
are Trauma-Informed
(Hodas, 2005)
IMPACTS OF
TRAUMA

Activation of Survival
Responses

Rational thoughts
reduced

Neglect of essential duties

Negative emotional
responses

Safety Concerns

Isolation
Hopper, 2009
Common
Responses to
Trauma
School-age Children

Fear, anxiety, worry

Headaches, stomachaches

Difficulty concentrating

Angry outbursts, aggression, and withdrawal

Feelings of guilt, shame, and self-blame

Nightmares, disrupted sleep

Over/Under reactions to environmental
situations
National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools
Committee, 2008.
Common
Responses to
Trauma
Adolescents

Decline in school performance

Shame, guilt, responsibility,
embarrassment

Fear, anxiety, worry

Increase in risk-taking
behaviors

Withdrawal Signs

Avoid reminders of the event

Intense mood swings
Culture and
Trauma
Cultural factors influence:

Risk and type of trauma

Experience description
and expression

Topics acceptable for
discussion

How one makes meaning
of trauma experience
and heals from it
Kirmayer, et al., 2003
Phased
Treatment Plan

Safety and Stabilization

Processing of Traumatic
Material

Reconnection and
Reintegration
Phase 1: Safety
and Stabilization

Attention to needs and self
health care.

Regulation of emotion
and development of selfsoothe.

Education on trauma and
intervention process.
Phase 2: Processing of
Traumatic Material
“The primary goal of this phase of treatment is to have
the patient acknowledge, experience and normalize
the emotions and cognitions associated with the
trauma at a pace that is safe and manageable.”
Luxenberg, et al., 2001
Phase 3:
Reconnection

Firm sense of self

Healthy and
supportive way of life
Group
Treatment
Why Group Treatment

Groups are educative
and provides Skill
training

Groups are healthy
and productive
environment to learn
from others
Verywell, 2017
GROUP DESIGN
Group Composition

10 Women

Victims of Trauma

Ages 20-40

Closed Group
Group Schedule

8 Sessions in total

Meetings on Monday and
Friday at 4 pm for 1 hour

Meeting place: Local
Outpatient Therapy Room
Group Goals
and Objectives
To
know one self
better.
Alleviate
the
emotional pain.
Group Goals
and Objectives

Establish more
coping mechanism.

Complete
Understanding of
psychological issues
Group Goals
and Objectives

Accurate
understanding
of one’s past
Rationale for
group’s existence

It helps to feel not
alone

It facilitates giving
and receiving
support.
Rationale for
group’s existence
It also encourages
members to ventilate
feelings throughout
and to know that one is
not alone.
 Helps individuals to
relate with others in an
healthier way.

Rationale for
group’s existence

It also helps one to feel
safe and valuable to
others through
interaction with other
people.
Inclusion Criteria
for members

Motivation
 Interpersonal
strengths
 Interest in further
processing of
experiences
(Yalom & Leszcz, 2020)
Inclusion Criteria
for members
Commitment to
attend all sessions
 Ability to give and
receive feedback

(Yalom & Leszcz, 2020)
Exclusion criteria for
members
Deviancy
 Psychosis
 Low psychological
mindedness
 Life crisis

(Yalom & Leszcz, 2020)
Possible topics for
group exploration
 Erroneous
beliefs resulting from
trauma experience
 Physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual safety.
 Safe place visualization and
other stress-reduction
techniques
 Strengths demonstrated during
the trauma
 Dual awareness exercises
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
Possible topics for
group exploration

Cognitive and behavioral
techniques related to flashbacks.

Triggers of flashbacks and
reactions to those triggers

Coping strategies to reduce
trigger impact

Strategies for reducing numbing
and
avoidance.

Strategies for improving sleep.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
Possible topics for
group exploration
 Feelings
and body sensations
awareness
 Anger
and alternate modes of
expression.
 Guilt
 Self
and Trauma responsibility
nurturing behaviors
 Grief
and Loss
 Healing
ritual
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
CONTENT FOR EACH SESSION
PRE-SESSION
Group Rules and expectations
 Self-introduction
 Group ground rules
 Expected trauma temporary symptoms increase
Symptoms of Trauma
 typical range of trauma symptoms
 frame the members’ problems in terms of their
trauma.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 1
Erroneous beliefs resulting from trauma experience
 common cognitive distortions that can result from trauma exposure
 identification of cognitive distortions
 challenging distorted and erroneous beliefs
Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual safety.
 differences between physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual safety
 actual and imagined levels of safety
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 2
Safe place visualization and other stress-reduction techniques
 Stress management techniques such as commitment from each
member.
Strengths demonstrated during the trauma
 Identification of positive traits both in thought or behavior
 Encourage member to keep a healing journal
.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 3
Dual awareness exercises.
 Description of dual awareness during flashbacks.
 Lead the group during the dual awareness exercise.
Cognitive and behavioral techniques related to flashbacks.
 Enhance strategies to members for dealing with flashbacks
 Implementation of stress management techniques
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 4
Triggers of flashbacks and reactions to those triggers.
 Identifying triggers that elicit emotional and physiological causes of trauma.
Coping strategies to reduce trigger impact.
 Teaching strategies for dealing with triggers such as distraction, ignoring.
 Instructing members to practice trauma trigger coping strategies.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 5
Strategies for reducing numbing and avoidance.
 Explanation of types of avoidance and numbing behavior that are characteristic of
trauma.
 Educate the group strategies to reduce avoidance and numbing behaviors.
Strategies for improving sleep.
 Enhance good sleep hygiene, and behavioral techniques for improving sleep.
 Assisting members to identifying their sleep difficulties.
 Implementation of techniques aimed at improving sleep.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 6
Feelings and body sensations awareness
 Enhance group discussion and role of body sensations.
 Teaching members about body awareness.
 Providing information on safety or lack of safety in a particular situation.
Anger and alternate modes of expression.
 Teaching the group the role of anger as a healthy response to trauma.
 Enhancing healthy and unhealthy ways of expressing anger.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 7
Guilt and Trauma responsibility
 Provoking members ‘expressions of guilt about the causes and surviving
the trauma.
 Assisting members in evaluating their suffering and responsibility in
terms of payback for any level.
Self-nurturing behaviors
 Developing positive affirmations to combat shameful feelings.
 Helping members identify shameful beliefs about themselves.
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
SESSION 8
Grief and Loss
 Listing all the physical, emotional, and spiritual losses suffered as a result of trauma.
 Demonstrating love for who or what was lost.
 Developing positive statements about their experience of grief.
Healing ritual
 Description of the importance for ritual in healing.
 Encouraging members complete their healing ritual once
(Paleg & Jongsma 2015)
References
Goodman, L. A., Thompson, K. M., Weinfurt, K., Corl, S., Acker, P., Mueser, K. T., & Rosenberg, S. D. (1999).
Reliability of reports of violent victimization and posttraumatic stress disorder among men and women with serious
mental illness. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 12(4), 587–599. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1024708916143
Hodas, G. (2005): Empowering direct care workers who work with children and youth in institutional care.
Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Hopper, E. (2009). Yoga-Based Interventions, (1-31). Powerpoint Presentation delivered November 2009.
References Cont.….
Kirmayer, L. J., Groleau, D., Guzder, J., Blake, C., & Jarvis, E. (2003). Cultural consultation: A
model of mental health service for multicultural societies. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3),
145–153.
Kolk, B. A., & Ducey, C. P. (1989). The psychological processing of traumatic experience: Rorschach
patterns in PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2(3), 259–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00976231
Luxenberg, T., Spinazzola, J., Hidalgo, J., Hunt, C., & van der Kolk, B. A. (2001). Complex Trauma and
Disorders of Extreme Stress (DESNOS) Diagnosis, Part I: Assessment. Directions in Psychiatry, 21, (395415).
References Cont.….
National Child Traumatic Stress Network Schools Committee. (2008). Child trauma toolkit for
educators. Los Angeles, CA, & Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). Types of trauma. Retrieved from
http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types
Paleg, K., & Jongsma, A. E. (2015). The group therapy treatment planner. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. Basic Books