Are You Equipped to Deal with a Traumatic Life Event? Here’s How a Trauma Psychologist Can Help
It is typically the unexpected moments in life that catches us off guard. Those moments touch us deeply and change the way we experience the world. Traumatic events come in many shapes and forms and affect each person differently. They can influence the way we interact with the world around us, making it difficult to carry on with even the most ordinary, everyday tasks. They can even affect our personality and change the way we present ourselves to the world. If this sounds familiar, you could benefit from seeing a trauma psychologist.
What is a trauma psychologist?
Psychologists in this field of specialisation focuses on helping people who have undergone traumatic events. They show an understanding of how such events can influence a person’s wellbeing on an emotional, physical, mental and behavioural level. This ability to connect how the event affects the individual allows them to help guide their patient to understand and process the event better. They also typically share skills to help the patient cope with the after effects and rebuilding process after a traumatic event.
What type of traumatic events can a trauma psychologist help you process?
Just as traumatic events affect us all differently, the events that can be described as traumatic can also differ vastly from one person to the next. What is considered as traumatic for one person, might not have the same impact on the next.
There are three types of traumatic events:
- Acute: Usually caused by a single or isolated event
- Chronic: Caused by exposure to a repeating event
- Complex: Caused by exposure to multiple traumatic events
The following events can often be considered traumatic by most, and could affect a person’s ability to process and cope with the event itself:
- Chronic abuse or neglect
- Homelessness
- Being bullied
- Serious injury or illness
- Domestic violence
- Sexual violence
- Life-threatening events
- Sudden loss of a loved one
- Ending of a significant relationship
- Natural disasters
Please note that this is not a complete list, and that other experiences may also fall into the category of traumatic events.
As a professional trauma psychologist, Dr Tienie Maritz helps patients to deal with traumatic events in a holistic manner through:
- Creating a new sense of safety
- Working through the trauma
- Identifying and treating co-morbidities
- Resolving conflict and forgiveness
- Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome
If you think you need to speak to a trauma psychologist, get in touch with the office of Dr Tienie Maritz for more information.
Sources:
https://www.tieniemaritz.co.za/
https://www.verywellmind.com/trauma-therapy-definition-types-techniques-and-efficacy-5191413
