Trauma-Informed Care in Adolescents

Written By: Kate Polk, Trainee at ACS, On-Campus Counseling Program

TRAUMA

is more common than we think. Darnell, Flaster, Hendricks, Kerbrat, & Comtois (2019) mention in their article that among adolescents between the ages of 13-17, 62% have been exposed to at least one or more traumatic event throughout their lifetime. These numbers are high, making it even more important that a therapist incorporates trauma-informed care in their treatment plans for adolescents.

Internalizing vs. Externalizing Problems

According to Darnell et al. (2019), “trauma exposure is common during childhood and adolescence and associated with youth emotional and behavioral problems” (p. 266). Problems in adolescents resulting from trauma range in two categories, internalizing and externalizing. Internalizing problems deal with mood or emotion, as their primary feature includes symptoms like anxiety, depression, etc. Externalizing problems deal with behavioral issues such as aggression, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorders. Knowing the types of symptoms or problems presented helps the clinician to formulate the best treatment plan for the client.

Interventions

When approaching trauma from a clinical perspective, trauma-informed care is crucial. There are many interventions counselors can engage in to promote growth and healing in a client suffering the effects of trauma. According to Snipes (2018), providing safety is your number one goal. The client must have the ability to feel safe both physically and mentally before they can open up in the therapeutic relationship. Common changes to promote safety include changing up the room setting, building rapport, and asking permission from the client before moving forward. These simple changes allow the client to feel a sense of control and empowerment, allowing for a stronger foundation to open up about past traumatic experiences.

The next thing Snipes (2018) mentions is for the therapist to ask the client what they have tried in the past to ease symptoms and to find out what has worked and what hasn’t. These questions open up the discussion, allowing the counselor to learn from past experiences and build upon the excellent foundation in treatment.

Another intervention includes providing resources for local support groups for survivors of past trauma. Through support groups, the client is better able to build peer support for the trauma as well as engage in mutual self-help.

Finally, increasing collaboration in the therapeutic room by building on strengths, encouraging participation and feedback, and sharing the power in the room allowing everyone to play a role in the therapeutic relationship. These interventions can be the building blocks of a healthy therapeutic relationship that can promote growth and healing in the future.

References

• Darnell, D., Flaster, A., Hendricks, K., Kerbrat, A., & Comtois, K. A. (2019). Adolescent clinical populations and associations between trauma and behavioral and emotional problems. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(3), pp. 266-273.
• Snipes, D-E. (Podcast Host). (2018, November 23). Trauma informed interventions [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from iPhone Podcast App – Counselor Toolbox.