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Treating Childhood Trauma Effectively

People talking about treating childhood trauma

Childhood trauma is a silent, invisible mental health condition that can be difficult to treat. Most people will experience one or more of the many types of trauma. Typically, people can process the experience and continue with their lives. However, teens may find it particularly difficult since they have not yet developed the right coping skills and have no prior experience. For many teens, a trauma therapy program is the first step towards healing childhood trauma and having the skills to handle future life stresses more effectively.

If you have seen a family member or loved one struggling with trauma, then professional mental health treatment could be the best way to help them recover. Untreated trauma can eventually cause adverse physical and mental reactions, and ignoring the symptoms will not make them disappear. This form of mental health condition often gets worse over time. That’s why Imagine Fort Collins offers a comprehensive trauma therapy program.

What Are the Types of Trauma?

Trauma can be defined as the emotional response a person has toward any stressful event they experience. Because life is full of a wide variety of stressful experiences, there are an equally wide variety of types of trauma. Some of the most common types of childhood trauma can include:

  • Physical or mental abuse
  • Bullying
  • Abandonment or neglect
  • Deaths in the family
  • Acts of nature or disasters
  • Community violence
  • Mass violence

This is not an exhaustive list, and the type of trauma can be entirely specific to each individual.

Treating Childhood Trauma

Supporting your teen after they experience trauma can go a long way towards helping them heal. Allowing them to adapt to and recover from trauma is a significant part of growing up, and many adolescents can recover successfully. Parents, family members, and other caretakers can play a major role in this process. There are some steps that adults can take to support the teens in their care:

  • Reassure the child that they are safe – Teens can feel like they are constantly in danger after they experience trauma, leading to anxiety and depression, or even physical reactions.
  • Explain to them that what happened is not their fault – Self-blame is a significant part of trauma, even for events entirely out of the teen’s control.
  • Give them time – There is no quick fix for trauma, especially if it is repeated or experienced over a long period.

While these approaches can help your child process childhood trauma, sometimes, they do not have the tools to do it independently. Trauma therapy can be the best choice in this type of situation. Through a therapist’s guidance, patients can learn to cope with the behavioral and emotional responses caused by their trauma. This can allow patients to maintain relatively normal psychological, social, physical, and academic functions.

Untreated trauma can be debilitating for many patients. Trauma therapy can help patients develop the essential coping skills and strategies to manage their triggers, work through their emotions, and start on the road toward a happier adult life in the future.

Start Trauma Therapy at Imagine Fort Collins

If you have noticed signs that your teen is experiencing trauma and needs help, we at Imagine Fort Collins are ready to guide you. Our licensed mental health experts have years of experience treating trauma and are up-to-date on the latest and most effective treatments. If your child is also suffering from a substance use disorder, we offer dual diagnosis treatment to address both conditions simultaneously. Our comprehensive and trauma-focused therapy approach can give your teen the tools they need to manage their mental health. To learn more about how Imagine Fort Collins can help, contact us at 888.291.2309.