Case Studies in Trauma

In the course “Working with Trauma” we examined the basics of understanding and working with traumatised clients. We included the DSM-5 definitions and symptoms for both ASD (acute stress disorder) and PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), named the primary instruments for assessing trauma that psychologists use, and identified the risk factors for traumatic injury. We briefly looked at the neurobiology of trauma and how to help clients maintain an appropriate level of arousal for working through their trauma. Much of the course was dedicated to describing the chief psychotherapeutic interventions that have been shown to be effective for working with trauma. Because Working with Trauma is the introductory-level course, we strongly advise you to do that one before embarking on this one. In this course, you will have the opportunity to view, through the lives of three trauma victims, the particular constellation of symptoms that made recovery of wholeness post-trauma such a challenging journey. You will be able to hear, both through their firsthand accounts and also those of the professionals working with them, the experiences, sensations, and emotions which defined their trauma and rendered them seemingly powerless against it. You will be able to review the individualised programs created by their mental health professionals to overcome the trauma. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to: Understand how “textbook” symptoms manifest in individual diagnosed cases of PTSD; Provide a professional rationale for the particular approaches and techniques used to help the clients heal from their PTSD; Increase your capacity to experience empathy for trauma victims (this last objective is to be measured subjectively: by you, at the finish. We will ask you: has your E.Q. (Empathy Quotient) gone up at all in working through these cases?)