Therapy for Childhood Trauma in London
What is Childhood Trauma
Therapy for Childhood Trauma is often the best option when your child’s been the victim of trauma. What does that word actually mean? It describes a frightful, dangerous, violent, or any threatening event that happens to a child between the ages of 0 and 18 years. A child can live through it directly, or be affected indirectly when a near relation goes through the same thing and leaves them terrified.
Trauma affects them all in the same way, and it leaves them feeling overwhelmed and helpless. There are greater chances of these events happening to anyone at any point in life. Not all of them have traumatic effects, though.
Traumatic Events
It’s important to identify the events that have a traumatic impact on children, since it’ll further help to treat the problem.
- Bullying
- Complex Trauma
- Community violence
- Disaster
- Partner Violence
- Physical Abuse
- Medical and Refugee Trauma
- Sexual Abuse
- Sex Trafficking
- Terrorism
- Grief.
Childhood Trauma is Common in UK
The Crime Survey for England and Wales has estimated through a survey that one in five adults in the UK has been the victim of Child abuse or physical violence. These children are victimised before they’re 16 years old, which makes them around 8.5 million people in the UK.
Organisation dedicated to Abuse in the UK
NSPCC is a leading organisation for charity collected for Children, and it’s been conducting surveys regarding different issues of children. It organises various charity events, and it runs a dedicated line which is always responding in case anyone reports any form of Child Abuse.
There’s also another organisation known as the UK Trauma Council, and it provides assistance to people regarding Traumatic conditions. This council provides free resources, webinars and guides regarding Trauma. People are trained on how to identify the victims and how to offer help to these individuals.
Symptoms of Childhood Trauma in Children
Certain signs indicate the child’s demonstrating post-traumatic behaviour, and these signs indicate that the child can’t describe his fears and feelings and he needs help. The signs are
- Startled easily on small things
- Tense feeling or being angry
- Having a low level of concentration
- Irritated, aggressive and Destructive behaviour
- Unable to sleep or sleep for longer periods
Symptoms of Traumatic Stress in Adults
Trauma has a long-lasting impact. It’s problematic for these children while they grow up. There are various problems that these children face in their lives, such as
- Learning problem
- Increased need for physical and mental health services
- String involvement with child welfare and the justice system
- Long-term health issues such as blood sugar and cardiac issues
Impact of Childhood Trauma
There are many negative directions which may feel right to victims who stay in the past and can’t think positively.
Physical Impact
These people become lazy, with no attention and interest in their work. They also start consuming alcohol and start to smoke.
Their physical health also suffers, and they most likely have high blood pressure, severe depression, obesity, broken bones, heart diseases and cancer
Impact on Personal life
These people feel ashamed and have low self-worth. They’re seldom happy with their life.
How to Help Childhood Trauma Victims
Talking helps. Talking to these children helps them describe their feelings and thoughts, and it enables them to make sense of the situation. It’ll make them feel secure and safe. Caregivers and parents can reassure their children that they are safe.
Therapy for Childhood Trauma
There are many therapies which Psychotherapists apply for Trauma, and these therapies have demonstrated results. People have benefited from these therapies, and these are
Cognitive Processing Therapy, Trauma focussed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Play therapy, Art therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing.
Help a Child to Cope With a Trauma
Caregivers and family members play a large part in making the treatment successful. One needs to be patient enough to help the child understand the healing process. Children must know that they’re in safe hands. They must not blame themselves, and the whole family must contribute to the sessions to make healing more effective.
Summary
Different therapies are helpful for Childhood Trauma, and they’ve been successfully used to treat such cases. If a child or adult feels miserable and has behavioural problems, it is advisable to seek therapy. The theories used to treat traumatic conditions are Cognitive Processing Therapy, trauma-focused therapy, Play Therapy and Art Therapy.
