What Does A Trauma Therapist Do And Who Can They Help?

Mental health professionals are becoming increasingly aware of the ways that psychological trauma can worsen mental health symptoms and complicate treatment. There’s a growing recognition that survivors of traumatic events may benefit from specialized care, while misinformed treatment may do more harm than good. Many psychotherapists are now undergoing training designed to prepare them to address the distinctive needs of trauma survivors. 

Therapists may use a variety of terms to describe treatment approaches rooted in an understanding of trauma, with some of the most common being “trauma-informed care” and “trauma-focused therapy.” Many therapists have received training in trauma-informed therapy, and some have extensive firsthand experience treating trauma survivors. 

Processing trauma may be easier with targeted therapy

Talk to a trauma-informed therapist

Why trauma calls for specialized care

Experiencing a traumatic event—such as sexual assault, exposure to combat, childhood abuse, or a life-threatening accident—can have uniquely disruptive effects on psychological health. Survivors may find it difficult to integrate what’s happened to them with their previous worldviews, which can lead to internal conflicts, relationship difficulties, and a wide variety of mental health symptoms. They may also experience chronic physiological symptoms resulting from the stress to their nervous system, such as hypersensitivity to noises or recurring panic attacks.

In addition to directly causing mental illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the effects of trauma may worsen other conditions. For example, there’s evidence that people exposed to trauma in childhood tend to experience more severe symptoms of depression and anxiety as adults. This may be partly because extremely stressful experiences can disrupt an individual’s development and impair their ability to regulate their emotions.

The lingering impacts of trauma may also interfere with mental health treatment, especially when treatment providers aren’t properly informed about trauma’s effects. Trauma survivors tend to be more frequently hospitalized and require higher levels of medication. There’s also a risk of re-traumatization—exacerbating the effects of existing trauma—if medical or mental health professionals treat patients in ways that reinforce their feelings of being silenced, ignored, or made powerless. 

If you’ve experienced violence, abuse, life-threatening danger, or other traumatic occurrences, you may benefit from care that accounts for the effects of this experience on your body and mind.

Trauma-informed care

In recognition of the challenges described above, clinicians have worked to develop practices rooted in an up-to-date understanding of how trauma affects mental health. This approach is often referred to as “trauma-informed care,” and it may be applied in various ways at all medical and mental health care levels. 

Trauma-informed care may be deployed in a variety of ways depending on the needs of specific patients, but at its core, it typically aims to help patients feel safe, empowered, and acknowledged. Practitioners are often trained to listen to clients’ experiences without dismissing their perspectives and to avoid controlling or intrusive behaviors that could retraumatize patients.

What is a trauma therapist?

While trauma-informed care can involve a wide range of medical and psychiatric practices, trauma therapy, or trauma-focused therapy, generally refers to specific forms of evidence-based psychotherapy designed to help clients overcome the impact of trauma. A licensed professional trained in one or more of these treatments may be called a trauma therapist, although this is not a formal professional designation in the United States. 

Clinical trials have identified several trauma-focused therapies that appear to be particularly effective. Examples include:

Cognitive processing therapy

Prolonged exposure

One common symptom of trauma exposure is going to great lengths to avoid memories and reminders of the experience, yet this may make feelings of trauma-related anxiety, depression, and shame worse rather than better. In prolonged exposure therapy, a client typically revisits memories of past trauma in a controlled, safe environment while talking through their emotional response with the therapist. A 2016 meta-analysis identified prolonged exposure as one of the therapies with the strongest evidence of effectiveness for PTSD.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR therapy typically focuses on helping clients process the negative bodily feelings and emotions that arise in response to memories of trauma. Participants are encouraged to briefly revisit their painful memories while responding to certain types of bilateral sensory stimulation. For example, a therapist may move their hand in a way that leads the client to move their eyes from side to side. While the exact mechanisms underlying its effectiveness are unclear, some studies have found that this type of therapy can outperform many other kinds of psychotherapy for trauma symptoms. 

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

Like CPT, TF-CBT is an adaptation of cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques for the specific needs of trauma survivors. It involves learning to understand the patterns of thoughts and feelings that contribute to mental health symptoms, developing coping skills, and modifying unhelpful mental habits resulting from trauma. While TF-CBT was originally developed for use with child and adolescent abuse survivors, research suggests it . 

Cognitive therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD)

Another modified version of CBT, CT-PTSD typically emphasizes the need for clients to examine the way they’ve thought about a traumatic experience and how it has affected their worldview. By critiquing the inaccurate conclusions they’ve drawn from what happened to them, clients may be able to let go of lingering feelings of stress, danger, and fear. Cognitive therapy is considered a strongly recommended treatment for PTSD by the APA. 

What to look for in a trauma therapist

Although many different kinds of mental health professionals can provide trauma-related treatment, a psychologist with a doctoral degree typically has more extensive training than a mental health counselor or clinical social worker. If you think you may need medication, you’ll likely need to consult a psychiatrist, who holds a medical degree. 

Finding out what specific forms of therapy a mental health professional is certified to provide can also be helpful. Titles like “Certified Clinical Trauma Professional” don’t necessarily mean much—many can be obtained by spending a couple of days attending a workshop. In contrast, certifications for therapies like CPT or EMDR may indicate in-depth training in evidence-based trauma treatment.

Before committing to a particular therapist, you may want to set up an initial consultation. This may also be a good opportunity to cover pragmatic details such as insurance eligibility and cancellation policies, but you can also ask questions like the following:

• How much experience do you have treating clients with trauma?
• Have you ever worked with someone whose experiences were similar to mine?
• If so, what was the outcome of the treatment?
• What’s your level of experience with the form of therapy I’m seeking (e.g., CT-PTSD, prolonged exposure, etc.)?
• How would you describe your treatment approach?
• How does your understanding of trauma inform your work?
• What factors are most important for success in trauma-focused therapy?
• How will I know I’m making progress in therapy?
• How do you determine when a client no longer needs therapy?

Many of these are open-ended questions that don’t necessarily have a single right or wrong answer. However, the way that potential therapists respond to your concerns may give you a sense of whether they’re compassionate, respectful, and competent.

Finding a trauma therapist

If you’ve experienced trauma that’s negatively affecting your mental health, you might benefit from seeking out a therapist with relevant training and experience. Talk therapy is generally considered the first-line treatment for conditions like PTSD, and some research suggests that it may be superior to medication in achieving lasting relief from symptoms. 

There are many ways to find recommendations for qualified practitioners. If you have a primary care physician, you can start by asking them for a referral for a mental health professional with trauma-related expertise. 

You could also try searching in a variety of online databases for mental health resources. Many such services allow you to filter your results to find the skills, certifications, and treatment focus you’re seeking. Examples include:

• APA Psychologist Locator
• International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) Find a Clinician
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) Find Your Therapist
• Cognitive Processing Therapy Provider Roster
• Emory University Nationwide Directory of Prolonged Exposure Providers
• EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) EMDR Therapist Directory
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Find Treatment

Another option is to use an online therapy service like BetterHelp to connect with a therapist remotely. Internet therapy platforms can often match you with a qualified provider based on your specific needs and preferences. This may make it easier to find someone with whom you can forge a strong therapeutic alliance, which may be a significant contributor to success in therapy. Through online therapy, you can choose how you’d like to communicate with your therapist, whether by phone, video, or live chat.

Research indicates that online psychotherapy can produce substantial improvements in trauma-related mental health challenges. For example, a 2015 trial comparing in-person and online cognitive processing therapy found that they were equally effective in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Receiving therapy online may be a helpful way to start making progress on recovering from the effects of trauma.