British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
To become a trauma counselor you must complete an undergraduate bachelor’s degree program from an accredited university. Some individuals will be able to choose counseling as a focus through their undergraduate education, but you might also consider the specialty of psychology or sociology.
The first is the “The three E’s of Trauma : Events, Experiences and Effects.” The second is the “The four R’s: Key Assumptions in a Trauma Informed Approach – Realization, Recognize, Respond, Resist Re-traumatization.
You will be required to complete a graduate degree program, pass a licensing test and complete a supervised practicum or internship. Most states require between 2,000 to 3,000 hours of supervised experience working as a counselor.
Trauma – Informed Practice is a strengths-based framework grounded in an understanding of and responsiveness to the impact of trauma , that emphasises physical, psychological, and emotional safety for everyone, and that creates opportunities for survivors to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment (Hopper et al., 2010)
Licensing and Certification Requirements Typically, licensing and certification to become a crisis counselor requires a bachelor’s degree in a mental health field or master’s in counseling or a related field.
National Average While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $146,500 and as low as $31,000, the majority of Trauma Therapist salaries currently range between $44,000 (25th percentile) to $92,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $128,000 annually across the United States.
What is trauma? Acute trauma: This results from a single stressful or dangerous event. Chronic trauma: This results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. Examples include cases of child abuse, bullying, or domestic violence . Complex trauma : This results from exposure to multiple traumatic events.
The trauma – informed approach is guided four assumptions, known as the “ Four R’s ”: Realization about trauma and how it can affect people and groups, recognizing the signs of trauma , having a system which can respond to trauma , and resisting re-traumatization.
6 Guiding Principles To A Trauma-Informed Approach Safety. Trustworthiness & transparency . Peer support. Collaboration & mutuality . Empowerment & choice . Cultural, historical & gender issues.
Trauma -focused therapy sessions aim to help youth discover skills and improve coping strategies to better respond to reminders and emotions associated with the traumatic event. Some of these skills include anxiety management and relaxation strategies that are taught in youth friendly ways.
How to bring up past trauma in your therapy session: Tell your therapist about your fears: You don’t have to dive into the deep end on your first try. Write it down: Remember you can stop at any time:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy ( CBT ): CBT is a type of psychotherapy that has consistently been found to be the most effective treatment of PTSD both in the short term and the long term. CBT for PTSD is trauma-focused, meaning the trauma event(s) are the center of the treatment.
The Five Guiding Principles are; safety, choice , collaboration, trustworthiness and empowerment . Ensuring that the physical and emotional safety of an individual is addressed is the first important step to providing Trauma-Informed Care.