Helping Traumatized Families

The new edition of the classic Helping Traumatized Families not only offers clinicians a unified, evidence-based theory of the systemic impact of traumatic stress—it also details a systematic approach to helping families heal by promoting their natural healing resources. Though the impact of trauma on a family can be growth producing, some families either struggle or fail to adapt successfully. Helping Traumatized Families guides practitioners around common pitfalls and toward a series of evidence-based strategies that they can use to help families feel empowered and ultimately to thrive by developing tools for enhancing resilience and self-regulation.

Highlights the importance of the synergy between individual, family and community interventions for children's recovery from post-traumatic stress.

The new edition of the classic Helping Traumatized Families not only offers clinicians a unified, evidence-based theory of the systemic impact of traumatic stress—it also details a systematic approach to helping families heal by promoting their natural healing resources. Though the impact of trauma on a family can be growth producing, some families either struggle or fail to adapt successfully. Helping Traumatized Families guides practitioners around common pitfalls and toward a series of evidence-based strategies that they can use to help families feel empowered and ultimately to thrive by developing tools for enhancing resilience and self-regulation.

The Handbook of Stress, Trauma, and the Family is broken down into three sections, compiling research, theory and practice. The first section focuses on how traumatic stress affects intimate others, what familial characteristics affect individual susceptibility to trauma, as well as evaluation of the effectiveness of various interventions. The section on theory explores concepts of stress and intrapsychic processes underlying the intergenerational transmission of trauma, addressesing how families can buffer or enhance anxiety. The final section, entitled practice, covers assessment (presenting both the Circumplex Model and Bowenian family theory models), treatment models and treatment formats for specific populations. The major family treatment models applicable to stress and trauma are discussed, including contextual, object relations, emotionally focused and critical interaction therapy.

This go-to guide for educators helping children who have experienced trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) provides accessible information paired with practical, adaptable strategies.

"This book builds upon my early work and the work and others by offering a comprehensive guide to practitioners interested in facing and helping to heal trauma and manage the drama systemically with a special focus on children and adolescents. The FST Model is a contribution to the fields of trauma, family sciences, and human development practice." --Charles R. Figley, PhD; Kurzweg Chair in Disaster Mental Health at Tulane University in New Orleans This is the first book that addresses trauma treatment for child and adolescents using a Family Systems Trauma (FST) model which goes beyond individual therapy to include the child and their entire family. Co-written by a renowned family therapist who created the Parenting with Love and Limits® model, it delivers a research-based , step-by-step approach that incorporates the child’s immediate family along with their extended family to treat the traumatized child or adolescent. Using a "stress chart," the child or adolescent's trauma symptoms are quickly identified. This strategy guides therapists in accurately diagnosing root causes of the child's trauma and culminates in the creation of co-created "wound playbooks" to heal trauma in both the child as well as other family members. Additional helpful features include extensive case examples, a menu of trauma techniques, wound playbook examples, evaluation forms, client handouts, and other practical tools to provide the therapist with a complete guide to implementing this approach. Child and family therapists, social workers, mental health counselors, and psychologists working in a variety of settings will find this book a valuable resource. Key Features: Provides a step-by-step, practice focused, time-limited model Uses a family systems approach for addressing child and adolescent trauma--the only book of its kind Includes useful tools such as checklists, client handouts, and evaluation forms

Real Life Heroes: Toolkit for Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and Families, Second Edition is an organized and easy-to-use reference for practitioners providing therapy to children and caregivers with traumatic stress. This step-by-step guide is an accompanying text to the workbook Real Life Heroes: A Life Story Book for Children, Third Edition and provides professionals with structured tools for helping children to reintegrate painful memories and to foster healing from traumatic experiences. The book is a go-to resource for practitioners in child and family service agencies and treatment centers to implement trauma-informed, resiliency-centered and evidence-supported services for children with traumatic stress.

Sleeplessness, depression, anxiety... these are common symptoms of the burnout that often accompanies living with a loved one who has experienced some kind of traumatic stress. It's well known that the loss of a child, a life-threatening injury, sexual assault or combat experience can affect the victim in traumatic ways, but what's often overlooked is how this trauma affects those closest to the victim - the family. Burnout in Families focuses on the emotional vulnerability of families exposed to the chronic or acute stress of one of its members. Editor Charles R. Figley brings together seven psychologists from around the United States to take a closer look at what's now known as secondary traumatic stress disorder - the burnout that occurs when family members care for or just live with other family members who have undergone a traumatic life event. The authors provide a comprehensive review of the available literature and offer solutions for treating and preventing family burnout and the marital and family discord that inevitably follows. Burnout in Families is an ideal text for university-level psychology, family therapy and social work courses.