Psychologist, C.Psych.
Have you directly experienced, witnessed, or learned about someone close to you who experienced a traumatic event? Do you experience flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and/or intrusive thoughts about the event that last for months or even years following the traumatic event? If so, MindFit can help.
At MindFit, our coaches provide several evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy approaches to trauma treatment including
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
• This program is a 12-session weekly structured treatment that involves education about PTSD, monitoring of events, thoughts and emotions, recognizing and challenging problematic thoughts (that can develop after traumatic events and keep you stuck – e.g., “I can’t trust myself”, “People can’t be trusted”, “Something bad is going to occur again”), writing about the trauma (to examine how you think about it and find ways to live with it), and planning for the future.
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
• This program involves 10-weekly structured sessions and involves a trauma interview and exposures: facing situations and memories that you find scary or may be avoiding to help you learn to cope more effectively. This program also includes breathing retraining, examining reactions to the trauma and planning for the future. The goal is to ease your symptoms and help reduce avoidance (which makes fears worse).
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
• TF-CBT is a scientifically-based treatment for children and adolescents and their caregivers/parents affected by trauma
• TF-CBT is a structured short term approach (generally 8-16 sessions)
• A diagnosis of PTSD is not required for TF-CBT
• This program also addresses other aspects of trauma including low mood, anxiety, behavioural challenges, and parent/caregiver distress
• Components of treatment include education about trauma, relaxation skills, processing thoughts and beliefs of the trauma, talking about/unpacking the trauma narrative, exposures (facing feared situations), learning to regulate emotions, and planning for the future