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Trauma

At HSR Psychology we provide assessments and therapeutic services for children and young people in relation to trauma.

What are the effects of trauma?

Trauma can be physical, emotional or relational, and may include a scary event, abuse or victimisation over a period of time. Following trauma, children and young people can experience the following:

These responses are normal, however if they continue over a period of months then support may be helpful. When children or young people have experienced repeated trauma over a period of time their responses may look very different, this may be referred to as ‘complex trauma’. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) describes the impact of trauma when it continues for a long time and significantly affects functioning.

What are examples of trauma?

Different events are traumatic for different people. Examples of situations which people may find traumatic include:

What is traumatic stress?

Traumatic stress can occur when an individual is exposed to events that are outside the usual range of daily experience that can be intense, emotionally painful, and distressing. 

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, there are specific criteria for what qualifies as a traumatic event:

"Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one (or more) of the following ways:

  • Directly experiencing the traumatic event
  • Witnessing, in person, the traumatic event
  • Learning that the traumatic event occurred to a close family member or close friend. In cases of actual or threatened death of a family member or friend, the event must have been violent or accidental
  • Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of the traumatic event

If trauma occurred at a young age then it is possible that the child or young person does not have a clear memory of the original trauma, however they may still experience effects from the trauma, and these effects can be magnified as it disrupts their development.

Our process

At HSR Psychology we ensure that we meet the needs of children and young people. To achieve this we ensure that any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work, is only carried out following an initial discussion.

An initial discussion allows us to understand the background and your expectations of our involvement. Having an initial discussion ensures any services we provide appropriately identify or address needs.

Our process for any specific assessments, intervention, or direct work is as follows:

Step 1: Contact us

We will usually be contacted by the child or young person, parent or carer, or another professional (eg education or health).

You can contact us or complete a referral



Step 2: Arrange an initial discussion

An initial discussion allows us to understand the background and your expectations of our involvement. Arrange an initial discussion



Step 3: Review our recommendations

Following an initial discussion we will send you an email that includes:

  • Next steps recommendations - to provide a bespoke package of support. For example:
    • Assessments
    • Reports
    • Information gathering
    • Meeting
    • Interventions
    • Consultancy
    • Reviews
  • Costing - we will provide costings for any services recommended.


Step 4: Let's get started

On receipt of the next steps recommendations and costing you can decide how to proceed. Once you have decided contact us to arrange the chosen services.



How are the effects of trauma assessed?

The effects of trauma can be assessed through the following ways:

Observations

Observations within different settings are often used to see behaviours which may be related to the trauma that the child is showing.

Detailed developmental history

Examining previous professional reports and taking an in depth developmental history helps to create a more complete picture of the trauma and its effects over time.

Clinical interview

An interview with the young individuals and their parents or carers provides insight in relation to how individuals believe their trauma has impacted them.

Psychometric measures of experiences and symptoms

Psychometric measures may include questionnaires that are aimed at gaining information on and measuring experiences as well as any symptoms currently being experienced.

Which assessments do we use for trauma?

Assessing the effects of trauma is done in the variety of methods mentioned above. Examples of the psychometric measures of experiences and symptoms we may use include:

  • CTQ - Childhood trauma questionnaire is for young people aged 12 and older and is used as a screening tool for traumatic childhood conditions, including; physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect
  • BASC-3 - Behaviour assessment system for children increases the understanding of a child or young person’s emotions and behaviours
  • Family relations test: children's version - This assessment helps to determine how a child perceives family members and provides information about family relationships and dynamics from the child’s point of view

When assessing a child or young person who has experienced trauma we will take all precautions to reduce any distress which may be felt through thinking about specific individuals or situations. As much information as possible should be provided during the Initial Discussion to support the child or young person appropriately.

What interventions do we provide for trauma?

We provide a range of psychological interventions for trauma. Interventions will be chosen according to the needs identified, the nature of the trauma and the developmental age of the child or young person. Interventions will usually include parents or carers.


Arrange an Initial Discussion

Arrange an Initial Discussion to find out how we can help. The initial discussion lasts 1-1.5 hours, comes with a written recommendation summary and is a starting point to identify needs. The cost is £260.

  • No waiting lists
  • Experienced psychologists
  • Includes recommendation summary

Find out more

only

£260



What makes us different

Access to a named psychologist

Focus on mental health and wellbeing

Joined-up approach

Bespoke services to meet needs

Multidisciplinary team

Holistic approach

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Flexible, consistent, and competitively priced

We provide bespoke solutions to suit all budgets and requirements for children and young people aged 0-25 in homes, education settings and the community. Our clinical, educational and child psychology services are cost effective.

See our prices

Make a referral

To make a referral and arrange an initial discussion please complete our referral form.

Make a referral

Contact us

Ready to get started? The next step is to speak to our team to find out more about the services we provide and how we can help. Call us on 0161 820 9229 or email office@hsrpsychology.co.uk

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