Managing Trauma

This workbook is designed to use with clients who have been diagnosed with or may be showing signs of:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Trauma & Stressor-Related Disorders

• Acute Stress Disorder

• Adjustment Disorders

• Reactive Attachment Disorder

• Hypervigilance

• Exaggerated Startle response

In this workbook, we've used "trauma" as an umbrella term to describe mental health issues related to these diagnoses.

People who have experienced a traumatic event are likely to develop a variety of symptoms associated with that event. The assessments and activities in the Managing Trauma Workbook provide facilitators with a wide variety of tools to use in helping people manage their lives more effectively. Many choices for self-exploration are provided for facilitators to determine which tools best suit the unique needs of their clients.

This workbook aims to provide a user-friendly guide to short-term assessments and activities to help people manage their trauma-related issues and experience greater well-being. In addition, this workbook can help provide facilitators and participants with the tools and information needed to overcome the stigma attached to the reactions to trauma issues.

To help participants successfully deal with reactions to traumatic events, facilitators need to have a variety of assessments and activities to help their participants open up and begin to manage the symptoms of traumatic issues. The Managing Trauma Workbook provides assessments and self-guided activities to help participants understand the intensity of their issues and how can lead a more effective life.

The Managing Trauma Workbook contains the following modules:

Module I: The Story of My Trauma
This module will help participants safely share all aspects of their story and put it into a positive perspective.

Module II: Re-Experiencing My Trauma Symptoms
This module will help participants explore the various ways they re-experience their trauma and provide tools for coping with these symptoms.

Module III: Escape-Mode
This module will help participants explore the various ways that they avoid and numb to forget their traumatic experiences, and it provides tools for coping with these symptoms.

Module IV: Making the Transition
This module will help participants explore ways to effectively move on from their traumatic experiences.

Module V: Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues
This module will help participants explore the stigma of having experienced a traumatic event in their lives and the impact that the stigma has on them.

This workbook is also available in PDF eBook format, making it simple to store on your computer or mobile device and to access with a PDF viewer. The PDF format allows you to easily print copies of the activities and worksheets during therapy and counseling sessions.

Managing Trauma Card Deck

Use the open-ended questions with groups or individuals to kick-start a session.  Each question corresponds to a specific page in the book.

Sample Questions:

How does the Maya Angelou quote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you” apply to you? Give an Example.

As a result of your trauma, what people do you no longer feel connected to?

Flashbacks occur when you feel as if a trauma from the past takes you back, and is occurring to you in the here and now.  What is usually happening when you experience flashbacks?  Who is involved?