Trauma Archives | Page 3 of 4

Parents

What Is Medical Trauma in Teens?

You’ve heard of trauma. And you know all about medical illness. But have you heard of medical trauma? Medical trauma occurs after someone undergoes a serious medical procedure or illness. Teens diagnosed with chronic or terminal illnesses may struggle with medical trauma, as can those with life-threatening injuries or surgeries. Research shows, for example, that many people who receive treatment for cancer and cardiac issues experience medical trauma. For others,

June 3, 2020

Parents

April is Stress Awareness Month: What are Adverse Childhood Experiences?

Each year during Stress Awareness Month, we publish a series of articles about stress: what it is, why we experience it, and what we can do about it. We also offer statistics on the prevalence of stress in our communities and advice on how to handle stress that becomes chronic, toxic, or dangerous to our health and wellbeing. Our first article defined and discussed chronic stress. In that article, we

April 14, 2020

Parents

April is Stress Awareness Month: What is Toxic Stress?

Each year during Stress Awareness Month, we publish a series of articles about stress. We talk about what it is, why we experience it, and what we can do about it. We also offer statistics on the prevalence of stress in our communities and advice on how to handle stress that becomes chronic, toxic, or dangerous to our health and wellbeing. We’ll publish several articles on stress over the next

April 12, 2020

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Early Trauma and Adult Mortality

Professionals working in clinical medicine and general healthcare have known about the long-term effects of early trauma on the development of chronic disease in adulthood for over twenty years. Until recently, however, most of these professionals worked in mental health, and understood early trauma in terms of its impact on psychological issues – mood and anxiety disorders in particular. These professionals established the trauma-informed approach to care that gains momentum

December 9, 2019

What Causes Borderline Personality Disorder in Teens?

Borderline personality disorder in teens is marked by high levels of impulsivity, repeated self-harming and suicidal attempts, conflicted relationships with others, and high emotional sensitivity and reactivity. But what causes this disorder? Experts can’t point to one single cause of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescents. Mental health professionals believe it is caused by several factors, including genetics and environmental issues. This is what DBT’s Biosocial Theory suggests. Some adolescents

October 21, 2019

Parents

How Horses Can Help Teens Overcome Mental Health Issues

Equine-assisted therapy, which involves interacting with horses, is a widely used therapeutic tool, especially with adolescents. The unique sensitivity of horses, and their oft-cited characteristic of being “nonjudgmental”, helps teens develop the same characteristics towards themselves. In equine-assisted therapy (EAT), teens are required to be fully present. They need to watch for and respond to horses’ subtle signals. And they need to practice problem-solving tasks, in the moment, in ways

October 5, 2019

How Art Therapy Will Help With Trauma

What does painting have to do with mental health? Lots, actually. Art therapy is a popular intervention for those with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, low self-esteem, trauma, and more. PTSD and other childhood attachment issues like neglect are particularly amenable to art therapy. Many studies analyzing children with PTSD find that the participants in the treatment group often see a reduction in their acute symptoms (Chapman 2011). Why Art Helps With

September 24, 2019

My Teen Experienced an Extreme Trauma: What Can I Do?

We recently posed a question on social media: “Hey Parents of Teens! What Do You Want to Know? What topic would be the most helpful for you? If you’ve ever thought, ‘I wish I had a guide to deal with this problem!’ Now is your chance to ask for that guide.” Members of our community replied with their most pressing questions. One concerned parent asked, “What [do you] do if

May 1, 2019

The Consequences of Sexual Assault

This month – April – is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We’ve already posted one article about sexual assault: Sexual Assault Awareness Month: History, Facts, and Figures During February of this year, we posted several articles about teen dating violence. We discussed the warning signs and gave tips and advice about what to do if you think your teen is either a victim or a perpetrator of teen dating violence. Teen

April 15, 2019

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: History, Facts, and Figures

What is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM)? The first official SAAM occurred in April 2001, organized by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). The roots of the movement that led to the first SAAM can be traced back generally to the social activism of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and specifically to efforts of activists in Pennsylvania and the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1970s

April 11, 2019