Trauma Blog
Search Results
Clinician's corner: A call for ground-up and trauma-informed approaches in the development of alcohol interventions for North American Indigenous Peoples
Date posted: 12/13/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
Alcohol is a primary determinant of health disparities facing North American Indigenous (NAI) peoples of the United States and Canada, including American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Native Pacific Islander peoples in the United States, and First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Aboriginal peoples in Canada, among others. Rates of alcohol use among NAI peoples—while lower than or comparable to other racial and ethnic groups (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2021)—are distinguished by more severe alcohol-related consequences. Indeed, NAI peoples have the highest rates of alcohol abstinence of all racial and ethnic groups yet exhibit the highest rates of binge and heavy drinking (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015), and lifetime (43.4%) and 12-month (19.2%) rates of alcohol use disorder are substantially higher for NAI peoples than for other racial and ethnic groups (Vaeth et al., 2017). Thus, reducing harm from alcohol use among NAI peoples is critical to addressing health disparities in this population.
Body- and movement-oriented therapy for PTSD: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
Date posted: 10/16/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
This updated systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that BMOIs may be effective for patients with PTSD in reducing PTSD symptoms and secondary symptoms of depression and sleep problems. Therefore, treatment options should include BMOI’s and more high quality studies should shed more light on specific effects and working mechanisms.
Written Exposure Therapy vs. Expressive Writing via Telehealth in Undergraduates
Date posted: 10/23/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
The evidence base for Written Exposure Therapy (WET) continues to grow, however most of the research has been conducted in-person with veteran samples. Further, WET has not been emprically tested against the treatment (expressive writing) from which it was developed. In our recent proof-of-concept study, we examined the efficacy of WET provided via telehealth in undergraduates with elevated PTSD symptoms compared to trauma-focused expressive writing, finding preliminary evidence that WET performed better to reduce PTSD symptoms.
A Mother’s Pain: Vicarious Traumatic Stress After Race-Related Violence
Date posted: 09/9/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
Have you ever wondered how people are impacted by the mass publicization of race-related violence? Our study found that one particular group may be at risk for vicarious trauma, while another may experience a decrease in trauma symptoms. Learn more in our blog.
Climate change and media messaging: What is a non-scary way of raising awareness about the end of civilization?
StressPoints
Date posted: 09/28/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
In early September, following a record summer of global warming, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutierrez, declared in a speech that the “climate breakdown had begun” and urged global leaders to adopt radical solutions to, “avoid the worst of climate chaos.” This warning comes as no surprise to those who carefully monitor the news on climate change, but to others, such information can be fear- and anxiety-inducing.
Clinician's Corner: Behavioral health in the fire service
StressPoints
Date posted: 09/28/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
Communities around the globe depend on firefighters. We rely on them for safety, crisis and medical intervention, and our general well-being. Firefighters are regularly exposed to critical and emergency situations (e.g., fires, natural disasters, crime scenes, medical emergencies), and thus represent a unique and resilient population faced with chronic stress and intense physical demands (Bowers et al., 2020). Firefighters operate in contexts of often chronic occupational stress, including sleep disturbance, and significant physical as well as emotional demands. Yet, research on firefighter behavioral health is in relatively early stages of development. Fire service agencies are just beginning to understand the implications of their work on the behavioral health of firefighters and their families (e.g., Zegel et al., in press).
Clinician's Corner: Meeting the challenges of organizational stress: Biocratic organizations and creating presence
StressPoints
Date posted: 09/28/2023
Topic: Clinical Issues and Treatment
In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report about workplace mental health and wellbeing. Many of you will not be surprised to learn that in a survey of 1,500 U.S. adult workers across for profit, non-profit and government sectors, 76% of respondents reported at least one symptom of a mental health condition, and 84% reported at least one workplace factor that had a negative impact on their mental health (Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2022). This means that in every mental health, healthcare and social service setting, clinicians must deal with the effects of workplace stress on their clients, while they are also trying to manage similar problems themselves. Not surprisingly, the report cites research suggesting there are five workplace attributes most predictive of whether workers refer to their organization’s culture as “toxic”: disrespect, non inclusivity, and unethical, cutthroat or abusive behavior (Sull et al., 2022).