Child and Family Mental Health - Montgomery County, MD - Bethesda - Maryland - Child Therapist - Teen Adolescent Therapy Counseling - Washington, DC

Quality Therapy for You, Your Child, and Your Family

3930 Knowles Avenue :: Suite 200 and Suite 206 :: Kensington, MD 20895
phone: 301-466-9526 :: email us

  • Home
  • Services
    • Family Therapy
    • Couples Therapy
    • Individual Therapy
    • Play Therapy
    • Group Therapy
    • Referral and Advocacy
    • Parenting Consultations
    • Psychological Consultations and Evaluations
  • Forms
  • Our Clinicians
    • Jonah Green, LCSW-C
    • Ricardo “Ric” Andrews, LGPC
    • Heidi Cohen, LCSW-C, CGABS
    • Ashley Copeland, LCMFT
    • Katherine Doyle, LMSW
    • Jingshuai Du, Ph.D., LGMFT
    • Chris Erb, LGMFT
    • Jennifer Firestone, LCSW-C
    • Shannon Golub, MSW Student Intern
    • Paul Higgins, JD, LMSW
    • Sheva Melmed, LCSW-C
    • Yasmin Meyers, LCSW-C
    • Lori Rothfeld, JD, LMSW
    • Annie C. Scheiner, LCMFT
    • Abigail Schwartz, JD, LCSW-C
    • Farah Shirazi, LMSW
    • Jess Silbermann, LCSW-C
    • Kathy Voglmayr, LCSW-C
  • Blog
  • Resources For Families
    • Supports and Services for Children and Families
    • Recommended Providers for Children, Adolescents and Families
    • Recommended Books and Other Media
  • Resources For Clinicians
  • Contact

Welcome to Our Blog!

This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Please feel free to post questions and comments on any of the entries as well as on any topics or articles from our companion web site www.childandfamilymentalhealth.com.

February 19, 2023

Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care

Childhood trauma can result from acute or prolonged emotionally or physically threatening experiences, including abuse or neglect, accidents, illness, familial conflict, loss, or discrimination.  Traumatized children may feel overwhelmed, helpless, or shocked and have difficulty processing their experiences. Signs of trauma include prolonged anger, sadness, or fear; numbness; nightmares or flashbacks; irritability; and frequent upset. 

Through treatment, children can carry traumatic memories less painfully. Any good therapy for trauma starts with a “trauma-informed therapist.” Trauma-informed practice principles include: recognizing trauma and can bear witness to it; creating a safe space with structure and predictability; collaborating with children and their families; drawing on their clients’ strength and resilience; and being sensitive to issues of culture, ethnicity, gender, and identity.  

A woman holds a child tightly.

Trauma-informed therapists use many approaches, including: 

Play Therapy. 

Play therapy uses play and creative expression to assist children in processing experiences, including trauma. This therapy is effective for young children and can be modified to work with older children. Caregiver involvement can enhance the healing process.

Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy uses psychoeducation, coping skills, gradual exposure to memories of the trauma, and cognitive processing techniques to help children manage their traumatic experiences. The involvement of caregivers can help children rebuild trust in adult relationships.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE).  

PE encourages children to describe their memories in as much detail as possible and reexperience painful emotions within the safe context of a therapy session.  The goal is to repeatedly recount the events in detail to decrease the intense reactions to the initial trauma. 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR works with unprocessed adverse experiences and releases the emotions associated with them.  The therapist will instruct individuals to engage in certain activities, such as repetitive eye movements or tapping on their arms with their hands, while revisiting the memory of a complex emotion.

Movement, music, or art therapies

These forms of therapy can stand on their own or integrate with other treatments. Most trauma therapists agree that healing the “whole brain,” including through creative modalities, is essential for healing.

Family Therapy

Family therapy can be a valuable adjunct to any trauma therapy, as it can help children to feel more secure and develop more supportive and trusting relationships. Loved ones can bear witness to the trauma and further validate it. Carefully constructed family therapy can sometimes rebuild trust between children and caretakers who may have been the cause of or may not have protected them from trauma.

While the effects of trauma on children can be long-lasting and severe, with adequate support and trauma-informed treatment, children can develop coping skills, begin healing, and ultimately reconnect with safe, loved ones as they develop and grow.   

-Posted by Lori Rothfeld

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Therapy, Trauma Tagged With: Lori Rothfeld, trauma

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Our Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RECENT POSTS

  • A Shared Space for Healing: Family Therapy for Addiction
  • Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care
  • For This New Year’s Resolution, Consider Adding a Self-Compassion Goal 
  • Understanding and Combating Anxiety
  • Increasing Our Wellbeing by Connecting with the Earth

Resources

  • Child and Family Mental Health Web Site
  • Co-parenting Resources
  • E-Group for Parents of School-age Children with Special Needs
  • Find a Therapist in Metro DC
  • Good Therapy Web Site
  • Help for your Anxious Child
  • Help for Your Depressed Teen
  • Resources For Families with Teens and Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Montgomery County, MD
  • Resources for Parents in Metro DC area
  • Setting Limits on Your Kids' Screen Time
  • Support for ADHD
  • Support for Stepfamilies
  • What to Expect from a Therapist

Topics

  • Addiction
  • ADHD
  • Adolescence and Young Adults
  • Adoption
  • Anxiety
  • Child Development
  • children and schools
  • communication
  • Couples
  • Disability and families
  • Families and Society
  • Family Therapy
  • General
  • Grief and Loss
  • Health
  • Managing Mood and Regulating Emotions
  • mental health
  • Parenting
  • Relationships
  • Self-Care
  • Separation, Divorce, and Stepfamilies
  • sexuality
  • Siblings
  • Social Media
  • Therapy
  • Trauma
  • Uncategorized

Jonah Green and Associates, LLC

Jonah Green and Associates, LLC is a highly regarded group of mental health clinicians who treat children, teens, and families with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and relationship concerns... read more
verified by Psychology Today verified by Psychology Today Directory Jonah Green - Wiser

RECENT POSTS

  • A Shared Space for Healing: Family Therapy for Addiction
  • Finding Trauma Treatment for Children in Your Care
  • For This New Year’s Resolution, Consider Adding a Self-Compassion Goal 
  • Understanding and Combating Anxiety
  • Increasing Our Wellbeing by Connecting with the Earth

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

SEARCH

Serving Maryland, Montgomery County, Kensington, Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Washington, DC

2023 © Jonah Green and Associates - Child and Family Mental Health
Website Design by: VanStudios