Breaking Through: Overcoming Childhood Trauma
Overcoming Childhood Trauma.
Childhood trauma comes in all forms. It includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, poverty, robberies, car accidents, physical illness, death and much more.
Webster’s Dictionary defines trauma as the following: a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time. Symptoms of trauma include, but are not limited to: Nightmares, Panic attacks, Physical complaints, Emotional problems, Guilt and shame, Feeling disconnected and Flashbacks.
It is recommended that you work through child trauma with a therapist.
# 1 Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP, NCC
Overcoming childhood trauma should not be done alone. Seek out the help of a trusted therapist, one who is trained in trauma that can be a support system for you during this time. Seeing a therapist, especially if you’ve never been to counseling before, may seem scary but in fact it can change your life.
Doing trauma work in therapy might include some of the following:- Outlining your trauma history
- Processing feelings around the events
- Exploring previously suppressed material
- Learning new way to reprocess the trauma
- Confronting the people who hurt you (through letters you don’t send, in therapy sessions or with the actual people, where applicable)
- Forgiving yourself and others
- Healing your body through yoga, meditation, acupuncture or any holistic treatment you love
- Letting go and moving on with your life
To find a local therapist, I suggest you search on PsychologyToday and include your city and mark the box for trauma. When you are making calls for a consultation, ask the therapist what type of training they have in trauma and the types of trauma they work with. The best therapist, no matter their training, is the therapist that you connect with on a deep level. And don’t be afraid to change therapists if your first pick isn’t working out. Overcoming childhood trauma can be done and you can learn to move on in your life.
Amanda Patterson, LMHC, CAP decided to become a therapist while attending Nova Southeastern University. She saw the need to help people achieve the life they wanted to live, while creating a life of her own. She completed her master’s in Mental Health Counseling and started a career in the juvenile justice arena. Since then, she has started a private practice in Pembroke Pines, Florida, specializing in depression, anxiety relationship issues, and substance abuse. Amanda is a believer in holistic treatment and she practices veganism, meditation and yoga in her life. Find out more about her practice here. For a free 15-minute consultation, call or text Amanda at 954-378-5381 or email her at amanda@amandapattersonlmhc.com.
#2 Stephanie Savo LMHC, LLC
When people hear the term trauma they often attach sexual and/or physical abuse to it. Trauma is one or more negative events that are emotionally hurtful and affect the person’s ability to cope. Trauma can be a natural disaster, accident, physical/sexual abuse, neglect and other painful experiences during childhood. Childhood trauma can significantly affect your adult life, especially when it’s swept under the rug. There are typically feelings of shame, guilt, fear, anger, and sadness attached to the traumatic experiences and these feelings are re-lived as an adult.
Stephanie Savo is a licensed mental health counselor who has been practicing therapy since 2008. She graduated with her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. Stephanie has experience working with adolescents and young adults. She has been working with adolescents and young adults who experience depression, anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem and worth, lack of identity and individuality, and who want to be empowered.
Stephanie utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques when working with her clients. She treats the person and the symptoms they are experiences rather than the label. She focuses on taking a collaborative and eclectic approach with her clients to help them get to their desired goals. Stephanie models for and assists her clients with consistent growth and personal development as she does in her own life.
#3 Carolina Gaviria, LMHC, NC
When we have a deeply distressing or disturbing experience our lives can change in a very significant way. We might feel sad, angry, scared, ashamed and isolated. Especially when we are children and we don’t have the internal resources or the language to deal with traumatic experiences, process them and overcome them, we end up feeling stuck in a place of overwhelming emotions. This is the reason why experiencing trauma in childhood can have a severe and long-lasting effect in our lives.
Carolina Gaviria is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. She is also a licensed Psychologist in Colombia, South America and is fluent in English, Spanish and German. She has published articles and presented at national and international conferences on eating disorders, depression, anxiety and stress management.
During 15 years of work in the mental health field Carolina has worked with adults and children with different struggles that range from depression and anxiety to trauma, eating disorders, alcoholism and other addictions. By applying CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and DBT- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Carolina will help you learn new coping tools to self-regulate your emotions and cope with life in life's terms. You will change different unhealthy behavior patterns and negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life. If you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or you're just ready to move in a new direction in your life, Carolina will work with you on achieving your goals.
