Psychotherapy Modalities On Trauma

Introduction This paper examines application of 2 different psychotherapy modalities on trauma. The psychotherapy approaches, namely, psychodynamic therapy approach and Focusing-oriented psychotherapy, will be explored through examination of a case. Different approaches use different interventions, which are rooted in perspective theories. Examining how a clinician could work with the case in this paper through the lens of each approach would help us understand the theories’ strengths and challenges.
Trauma and PTSD diagnosis Many people in the world, regardless of age, gender, race, or language have experienced a traumatic event including, death of family or friend, sexual abuse, natural disaster, emotional abuse, domestic violence, and
265). The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is placed under this category. According to APA (2013), people would be diagnosed with PTSD when they experience intrusive symptoms such as flashback, recurring dream and/or memory of the event, psychological and/or physiological distress when being exposed to cues related to the event, after being exposed to actual or threatened harm, death and/or violence. People with PTSD characteristically avoid stimuli that remind them of the event, have negative cognition s and mood (e.g., low self-esteem, fear, guilt, depressed mood, and feelings of detachment), and experience hyper-reactivity and/or hyper-arousal (e.g., irritability, anger, hypervigilance, sleep disturbance, and difficulty concentrating) (APA, 2013; also see Herman, 1992). These physical as well as psychological symptoms interfere with social, occupational, and/or academic functions for individuals with PTSD (APA, 2013). It is important to note that those people who do not meet full criteria for PTSD after being exposed to a traumatic event may still experience significant difficulties in their lives (APA, 2013, Burstow,
She comes from an intact family. She reported that she grew up in the west coast of the US. Her parents live approximately 1.5 hours away from her residence. She reported that she has a good relationship with them. Nevertheless, she stated that she has not told them about the traumatic event. . She currently lives by herself near her work. She is college educated and currently employed at a large corporation. She is driven and eager to advance her career. She indicated that she has some close female friends. She reported that she gets along well with her co-workers. She sought psychotherapy for anxiety and post-traumatic symptoms. She comes to the session dressed appropriately to the weather. She is oriented times 4. Her mood is anxious. Her affect is congruent. She makes eye contact throughout the session and she answers my questions without hesitation. She is engaging and appears to be curious about her experiences. Nevertheless, her insight on her symptoms is limited. She attributes the symptoms to the traumatic event. Yet, she struggles to make sense of her experience and symptoms.

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