Child Stress and Trauma Drama Therapy

Child Stress and Trauma

Children today are exposed to much more trauma than we were twenty or thirty years ago, and that's why child trauma counselling is such an important tool to help them cope. Once off events, such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, bullying, life-threatening illnesses, natural disasters, or war can leave a child scarred for life.

Long-term exposure to poverty, verbal abuse or milder types of abuse are traumatic too, in fact that can be as devastating to a child as a single catastrophic event.

As with adults, every child has a different way of dealing with similar circumstances or events. Not every person who experiences the same event will become traumatized, but exposure to trauma can result in a variety of symptoms including nightmares, bedwetting, anxiety, depression, disdain for authority, poor grades, moodswings, substance abuse, and self-harm.

Both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and a range of other therapies can be helpful in treating children who have been exposed to short term trauma. Therapists will usually work with the child on a one-on-one basis to help the child restructure negative thought patterns and self esteem (in the case of abuse, etc.) before calling in the family for family counselling. Family counselling is a great way for the family to find common ground, build problem-solving skills and to help the parents to re-establish themselves as the authority figures in the home.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist with specialized traing in trauma counselling for children you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Drama Therapy, Existential-Humanistic, AEDP

Drama therapy provides a platform for clients to set goals, share their life stories, express their feelings and solve emotional problems. It is a great format for exploring personal experiences and to enhance interpersonal skills to strengthen their own life roles.

The therapist offers a safe and emotionally supportive environment where clients can perform psychological, social, and emotional change. It is a great forum for individuals to explore and address social issues, or emotional difficulties such as personal growth, anxiety and grief.

Drama therapy can be offered on an individual basis, or in a group setting. Many clients find it easier to express themselves through improvisation, stories, movement and drama than through talking directly about their issues.

Drama therapy is suitable for people of all ages who suffer from mental disabilities, behavioural problems, or mental issues.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Drama Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Existential-Humanistic psychotherapies emphasize a collaborative approach to the understanding of the client's full experience rather than just the symptom, thoughts or behaviour. Psychological problems are viewed as the result of a restricted ability to make authentic, meaningful, and self-directed choices about how to live. Consequently, interventions are aimed at increasing client self-awareness and self-understanding. The key words for existential-humanistic therapy are acceptance and growth, responsibility and freedom.

Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy focuses on techniques to bring about healing and helping clients to achieve behaviour transformation. The outcomes are facilitated through a exploring difficult experiences that have had a profound relational or emotional effect on the client's life experience.

Dr. Diana Fosha developed this innovative approach which is closely related to other disciplines, including body-focused approaches, affective neuroscience and attachment theory. The goal of Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy is to tap into the client's untapped inner resources for healing. The AEDP approach equips clients with the skills they require to confront and deal with emotional traumas, instead of resorting to defensive tactics, which is a common knee-jerk reaction. It allows the client to see their own internal coping skills that were hidden before, and to wake those inner strengths to become a natural response to life's circumstances.

If you are looking for a counsellor who offers AEDP therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Note: You may narrow your search by selecting more than one filter below.

Mandy Rai

M.C., RCC
    • Online booking
I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor who uses a collaborative and person-centred approach to support clients in their journey toward self-discovery and healing. I offer a range of treatment options from a trauma-... Read more