PTSD & Trauma Therapy in Wyomissing, PA • Find Help | Thriveworks (2024)

David:My go-to approach for helping people in PTSD/trauma therapy is to utilize EMDR therapy. I prefer this technique because it has been validated in hundreds of research studies and I have personally found it to relieve trauma symptoms both in myself and in a large number of my clients.

Joseph:My go-to approach for helping people in PTSD/trauma therapy is TF-CBT. I find the best benefit in TF-CBT because it improves their ability to regulate their emotions and develop cognitive coping and processing skills.

Lauren:My approach to helping individuals with PTSD/trauma is to first find out how their lives are being impacted on a day-to-day basis. It's helpful to know in what ways they experience trauma symptoms: thoughts (stories, memories), overwhelming feelings (hurt, grief, anguish), or physical symptoms (tight chest, IBS). This is useful in informing me on the best approach to treatment for each individual client.

David:I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy:

• Relaxation techniques.
• Creating a mental “safe space.”
• Reframing the trauma as an experience that can potentially deepen and strengthen oneself.

Joseph:I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy:

• Psychoeducation on trauma and reactions to trauma
• Relaxation/imagery techniques
• Feelings identification in response to trauma reminders
• Emotional regulation
• Dealing with dissociation
• Cognitive processing
• Creating the trauma narrative
• Processing the traumatic experience

Lauren:I teach the following tools in PTSD/trauma therapy:

• Psychodynamic therapy
• Cognitive processing therapy
• Narrative therapy
• Logotherapy
• Neuroaffective relational therapy
• Attachment therapy
• Expressive arts therapy
• Lifespan integration
• Somatic psychotherapy
• CBT
• Polyvagal (nervous system regulation) therapy
• Posttraumatic growth/strength-based therapy
• Faith-based therapy

David:I know a client is making meaningful progress in PTSD/trauma therapy when they are able to report that the memory of the traumatic event no longer has the emotional pull on them that it used to.

Joseph:I know a client is making meaningful progress in PTSD/trauma therapy when they indicate a reduction in the frequency, duration, and intensity of feelings experienced when exposed to trauma reminders.

Lauren:I know that a client is making meaningful progress in trauma therapy when they tell me, their symptoms are decreasing or feeling more manageable, and the traumatic experience(s) begin to seem more in the distance or like a chapter in a history book rather than a movie they are stuck in.

David:Clients can supplement their time in PTSD/trauma therapy by journaling their feelings, which can include their hopes and dreams or, if they feel inclined, reviewing their feelings about their past trauma.

Joseph:Clients can supplement their time in PTSD/trauma therapy with daily practice of relaxation techniques/imagery techniques, rating the intensity of their feelings when exposed to trauma reminders, and exercising.

Lauren:Clients can supplement their time in PTSD/trauma therapy by attending to self-care, getting good sleep, staying connected to people they care about, and trusting and accepting themselves to do the work.

David:To prepare for their first PTSD/trauma therapy session, someone can try to relax, knowing that trauma is eminently treatable and most people make impressive recoveries from past traumas.

Joseph:To prepare for their first PTSD/trauma therapy session, someone can consider the impact that the traumatic experience has upon their feelings, thoughts, relationships, behaviors, attitudes, dreams, and hopes.

Lauren:Clients can prepare for their first trauma therapy session by taking a deep breath and trusting their decision to continue on the journey to greater health and wellness.