How we work
Trauma is defined as an experience where the person is terrified and powerless and then overwhelmed. It is not so much about what has happened to them but how that impacts them.
Written by Betsy de Thierry 2015 ©
At the TRC we partner with the
BdT Trauma Recovery Focused Model
At the TRC we are trauma recovery focused rather than just trauma informed, because we believe that recovery from trauma is possible.
We recognise that trauma recovery is not taught in any qualifying course within the specialised professionals that work within the mental health and psychological therapy sphere, and so we all work within this framework. Each practitioner who works with the children and young people is regulated by their own therapy board, and as a team we then work within the BDT Trauma recovery model.
According to the BdT TRFM, trauma informed work recognises the centrality of relationship, the impact of threat and fear and acknowledges that children communicate their needs and fears through behaviour. Trauma Recovery focused work builds on that foundation but aims at not just helping the children to engage in the short term but actually recover from the impact of the terrifying experience. Trauma impacts people in the subconscious and body and as such all our psychotherapists are taught to know how to facilitate recovery for the child and young person from the negative impact of the trauma on the body, emotions, subconscious and relationships.
The key principles of the model are:
1. Understanding the
trauma continuum
The trauma continuum can help all those who work with children to use a common language, which consequently enables a child to receive appropriate interventions that are suitable for their level of traumatic response. The trauma continuum is shown here.
Type I or ‘single incident trauma’
is usually defined as a one-off traumatic incident or crisis. Single incident trauma is difficult and painful and has the potential to cause injury to the child. This level of trauma, however, usually has less stigma associated with the experience; therefore other people are often responsive and supportive to those who have experienced these traumatic incidents and the person who has experienced it can speak about it. This would result in Type I trauma being placed at the beginning of the trauma continuum, especially if this was an experience within the context of a stable family where processing difficulties is a normal cultural expectation, as this could significantly limit the damage.
The continuum progresses according to the degree of trauma experienced, the amount of different traumatic experiences, and the level of social support and family attachment a child has to enable them to process and recover.
Type II trauma
Type II trauma involves repetitive experiences that are terrifying; these can rarely be spoken about due to the shock, possible threats, loyalty issues, confusion or a dissociative response due to the level of terror and powerlessness.
We work effectively with dissociation. (Usually Type 2 & Type 3 Trauma)
Type III or complex trauma
is positioned at the furthest end of the continuum and involves multiple different traumatic experiences that are serious, repeated and often started at an early age. They could be experiences such as a child who suffers from multiple abuse and/or neglect over many years (pervasive), without a setting in which the traumatic experience could be processed or spoken about in a recovery-focused manner, due to either the primary caregiver’s absence, neglect or inability themselves to cope with the trauma. Complex trauma usually involves interpersonal violence, violation or threat and is often longer in duration. It is almost always an experience that causes a strong sense of shame due to stigma, and therefore silence, which can lead to the person feeling isolated and different. For example, repeated sexual abuse, trafficking, torture, organised abuse or severe neglect (de Thierry 2015).