A Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions

A Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions provides trauma counselors with effective guidelines that enhance skills and improve expertise in conducting empowering therapeutic interventions. Taking a practitioner’s perspective, author Priscilla Dass-Brailsford focuses on practical application and skill building in an effort to understand the impact of extreme stress and violence on the human psyche. Key Features:   Offers comprehensive coverage of trauma intervention: The wide coverage of the different levels of trauma— individual, community, institutional—and attention to the current theoretical and research literature makes this text the most comprehensive regarding trauma and its treatment. Highlights the intersection between trauma and culture: An ecological perspective focuses on the importance of viewing behavior within its social setting and examining the physical and psychosocial barriers to trauma recovery. Emphasizes the theme of "empowerment": Empowerment focuses on client strengths as the practitioner is encouraged to support clients towards resiliency. Provides an extensive historical background: The book examines multigenerational trauma experienced by several ethnic minority groups. Includes case studies and worksheets: Case studies gleaned from the author’s clinical experience provide a snapshot of the field and make the work of trauma come alive. Intended Audience:   This is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses on psychological trauma in the departments of Counseling, Psychology, Human Services, and Social Work. It is also a useful resource for practicing clinicians.

Table of Contents:
Preface Ch 1: Overview of Trauma Ch 2: Assessment of PTSD, ASD, and DESNOS Ch 3: Models of Trauma Treatment Ch 4: Empowering Interventions Ch 5: Crisis Interventions Ch 6: Group Psychotherapy for Trauma Survivors Ch 7: Community Trauma and Working in the Schools Ch 8: Traumatic Stress Debriefing With Adults Ch 9: Children and Adolescents Ch 10: Treating Interpersonal Violence Ch 11: Treating Political Refugees Ch 12: Terrorism Ch 13: Natural Disasters Ch 14: Helping the Helper Appendix I. Common Reactions to Trauma Appendix II: Coping With Trauma Appendix III: Coping With Grief and Loss Appendix IV: Helping Children Cope With Loss and Grief Appendix V: Client Safety and Self-Care Worksheet Appendix VI: Deep/Diaphragmatic Breathing Appendix VII: Progressive Muscle Relaxation Appendix VIII: Stages of Burnout Appendix IX: Counselor Self-Care: Beliefs, Conflicts, and Rewards Appendix X: Trauma Assessment Tools for Adults Appendix XI: Trauma Assessment Tools for Children and Adolescents

About the Author :
Priscilla Dass-Brailsford is an Associate Professor in the Division of Counseling and Psychology at Lesley University. She has worked with underserved and chronically traumatized populations specifically in child advocacy and sexual abuse evaluations. Additionally, Dr. Dass-Brailsford coordinated a state-wide crisis team, the first of its kind at its inception, which responded to incidents of community violence. Dr. Dass-Brailsford’s research projects are multiple: resiliency in the aftermath of political trauma and socio-economic stress; the effects of community violence, multicultural research on institutional trust and racial identity; the effects of secondary trauma on first responders and other volunteers; and the benefits of walk-in mental health services for disaster survivors. She was a first responder in New York after the terrorist attack in 2001 and deployed to New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina (2005). She has returned to the area several times to work with mental health providers. This edited book was inspired by her work with the survivors of Hurricane Katrina; it is a testimony to their resiliency despite the challenges of loss, dislocation, recovery and reconstruction.

Review :
"This book has wide potential value for educators and clinicians. As a text, the extent of the research base it organizes for the reader is impressive, and it is written in a clear and engaging style that will be appreciated by students...For clinicians, this book is a valuable addition to the tools necessary for ensuring state-of-the-art help for consumers facing trauma."