Being vulnerable is really hard. To be vulnerable means to be able to identify, name, and experience our feelings. Nothing about this process is simple, which is why I do not ask every client, “How do you feel today?” I am careful when and how I pose this question to my clients. Of course, the... Continue Reading →
According to the National Day Calendar, March 2nd marks World Teen Mental Wellness Day. It is a day that strives to increase awareness and decrease stigma about the many mental health issues that teens deal with daily. Many teens begin presenting various problems at around 14 years of age. These issues often go undiagnosed and... Continue Reading →
Social workers, counselors, and educators are just some of the many individuals who spend their careers in service to others. By nature of their work, many helping professionals are exposed to painful, difficult stories and experiences from the people they serve. Secondary trauma has become an “occupational hazard” among helping professionals that is leading to... Continue Reading →
Our brain is shaped in three primary ways: temperament (inborn basic personality traits), genetics, and experience. Experiences of trauma, especially chronic childhood trauma, impacts how the brain develops and responds to threat in a number of ways. Our brain’s primary job is survival, and a brain that’s been through trauma is hypersensitive to threat. When... Continue Reading →
Trauma is defined as a threat to a person’s emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. The body goes into a fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response to the event. Trauma comes in many layers and people respond to it and carry it differently. Symptoms of trauma include hypervigilance, flashbacks, and extreme fear and distress. Many of... Continue Reading →
In light of the recent murder of Sarah Everard, a British female who was kidnapped and killed by a police officer in London, there has been a rise in awareness for sexual assault and harassment (especially male against female crimes). It also just so happens to have occurred right on the cusp of National Sexual... Continue Reading →
Our physical, mental, and emotional health are so interconnected. Think about it—when we exercise, we tend to feel more alert and attentive throughout the day. When we are feeling sad, we might feel fatigued and unable to think about things clearly. Especially when we experience trauma, like a car accident, a sudden loss, or violence,... Continue Reading →
Exposure to trauma, whether once or repeatedly, can severely impact children. During a time when the brain is forming and significantly developing, experiencing a traumatic situation can thwart that progress. The effects may show up a number of ways, more obviously with acting out behaviors such as fighting with peers or impulsivity. However, the impact... Continue Reading →
In order to discuss the topic of trauma, it can be helpful to understand its definition. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines trauma as the response to a deeply troubling or disturbing event that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, overall affecting their emotional response. Following a traumatic event, feelings of shock and denial are... Continue Reading →
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