TRAUMA

Trama is a scary dangerous or violent event
that can happen to anyone.

What is Trauma?

  • It’s a scary dangerous or violent event that can happen to anyone.
  • Not all scary or dangerous events are traumatic events.

What is a traumatic event?

  • It’s a scary, dangerous, or violent event.
  • When we face or witness an immediate threat to ourselves or to a loved one.
  • Typically involves serious injury or harm.
  • We feel terror, helplessness, or horror at what we are experiencing and our inability to stop it or protect ourselves or others from it.
  • Danger can come from outside of a family(such as a natural disaster, car accident, school shooting, or community violence)
  • Danger can come from within the family such as a serious injury, domestic violence, physical or sexual abuse, neglect, or the unexpected death of a loved one

Traumatic Experiences  (defined by NCTSN)

  • Accident Violence within family
  • Injury Abuse
  • Serious illness Neglect
  • Fires Homelessness
  • Crime School violence
  • Community violence Bullying/Cyberbully
    (shootings,stabbings,robbery Life threatening illness of loved ones.
  • Fighting at home,neighborhood
  • Life threatening health
    school) Painful medical issues.
  • Death of a loved one Act of terrorism
  •  Sudden death of loved one Living or escaping from
  • Combat injury of a loved one a war zone.
  • Economic stress/poverty Abandonment

Trauma Facts

  • FACT: Trauma can impair learning. Single exposure to traumatic events, may cause jumpiness, intrusive thoughts, interrupted sleep, nightmares, anger and moodiness and/or social withdrawal. Any of which can interfere with concentration and memory.

Chronic exposure to traumatic events,
especially during a child’s early years can:

  • Adversely affect attention, memory and cognition
  • Reduce a child’s ability to focus, organize, and process information.
  • Interfere with effective problem solving and/planning
  • Result in overwhelming feelings of frustration and anxiety.
  • Traumatized children may experience physical and emotional distress
  • Physical symptoms like headaches and stomach aches
  • Poor control of impulses
  • Unpredictable and/or impulsive behavior
  • Over or under-reacting to bells, physical contact, doors slamming, sirens, lighting, sudden movements.
  • Intense reactions to reminders of their traumatic events

*Services are provided by Experienced Licensed Therapists. We have therapists who are trained in trauma-focused CBT. We also have therapists who are certified in traumatic stress studies by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk.

Please contact Affinity Family Support Services PC
[p] 814-835-1700  |  [f] 814-835-1701