Has your child experienced a traumatic event? Do you notice an increase of fear and anxiety behavior patterns in your child? Does the child you are concerned about seem to have less control over his or her responses – such as anger or crying or lack of expression of feelings?
Posttraumatic stress disorder – also known as PTSD – is a mental health challenge that may occur in individuals who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, domestic violence, abuse, sexual abuse, long-term separation from primary caregivers, a serious accident, or any other violent personal assault societal traumatic events, an act of war, terrorism.
What are the Symptoms of PTSD?
People with PTSD often experience intense thoughts and feelings related to their traumatic experiences. These can last for a long time after the initial event. Many people with PTSD also relive the event through flashbacks and nightmares.
People with PTSD often feel intense emotions such as fear, anger, sadness and a detachment from friends, family and community members. For children, clinginess to trusted adults and insecurity in self can also be prevalent. They often avoid people and situations that remind them of the traumatic event. Ordinary sounds, smells, or incidents such as a door banging or accidental touch in a crowd may cause a strong and uncontrollable reaction.
How Can Treatment Help?
There are a variety of treatments that can be used to work with a child with PTSD. However, there are three specific techniques used by Patricia Sandkamp in treating PTSD.
- Somatic- Experiential Play Therapy – This is a child lead approach in which a child is allowed to process emotions and experiences in a therapeutic environment while the trained therapist applies specific play techniques.
- Directive Play Therapy – This is a therapist led approach in which the therapist provides specific activities which will assist a child in processing emotions, provide psychoeducation, and increase child’s coping skill responses.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)– CBT is a form of therapy that focuses on how thoughts, feelings and behaviors are related to one another. The goal when using CBT by a therapist working with a child client with PTSD is to recognize thought and feeling patterns in order to gain feel a sense of awareness and control of their thoughts and behaviors.
If your child may be experiencing symptoms of PTSD and as a caregiver you would like to explore treatment options, please reach out to me. I have personally seen beautiful transformation through therapy and want to offer the help your child may need to enjoy life again.