Inviting the body, movement, and the creative arts into telehealth: A culturally responsive model for online EMDR preparation

This chapter addresses the emerging need to enhance the cross-cultural applications of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) over telehealth to effectively respond to the COVID-19 crisis. The chapter aims to provide therapists with skills to expand Phase Two of EMDR treatment to increase safety and readiness for online trauma reprocessing. It presents The COME BACK Tool, a set of eight stabilization practices that integrates movement and creative arts, as a comprehensive framework for Phase Two of EMDR. The chapter discusses the benefits of using body-based practices when working with complex trauma and dissociation as well as its application to intercultural work, and also presents a case example of using yoga to facilitate dual attention during trauma reprocessing in Phase Four of EMDR over telehealth. The chapter then outlines eight COME BACK Tool scripts, one practice for each letter, so that readers can easily and immediately begin offering these practices to clients and even applying them to their own self-care routine. By integrating movement and creative arts therapies, the whole body is engaged for a present-moment experience and provides a concrete, external focus so mindfully connecting to thoughts, feelings, and sensations is more tolerable and titrated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Refugees dealing with complex trauma: Dance/movement therapy for survivors of the genocide of the Yazidi

This chapter describes the process of introducing dance/movement therapy (DMT) to severely traumatized women of the Yazidi community, survivors of ISIS (Islamic State) captivity and complex trauma, who recently arrived in Germany. It refers to different stages of this process and the corresponding themes within the DMT sessions. The chapter addresses how the first author-the dance/movement therapist and psychologist of the setting-adjusted to these stages with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reflect on how external events effected the DMT sessions and setting. Finally, the chapter discusses the implications for working through movement with extremely vulnerable populations of severely traumatized refugees. Offering DMT to this very vulnerable group of survivors of complex trauma, a rewarding yet challenging process, requires a careful approach and the building of a reliable relationship between therapist and clients to safely support the individual processes both in a movement and verbal setting. The integration of psychoeducational conversations and the learning of self-calming techniques promote self-management and empowerment. The closed group offers a safe space for sharing personal issues and explores new movement experiences and psychosomatic symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Trauma responsive approaches in education: A review of the current literature to address the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatic experience that has impacted children for almost 2 years. As schools return to face-to-face settings, it will be vital to consider how schools can manage the transition and address the issues of trauma in students and educators. The purpose of this extended literature review is to evaluate how teachers and children alike are suffering through stress, Complex-PTSD, and PTSD as they navigate the new complexities faced within education. This extended literature review is centered on the topic of trauma in children as well as trauma-informed approaches to education. The designs, implementations, outcomes, and associated challenges and barriers of existing trauma-informed approaches in schools are discussed to provide an overview of the current state of trauma-informed education. This literature review will yield a product in training that will entail solutions for the research questions, including an appraisal of the school system and a holistic perspective applied to the entire school system. After completing this extended literature review, the researcher recommends the implementation of the whole school approach in online education, a collaborative approach with a team specifically dedicated towards trauma-informed education, a synchronous class design with fewer students, as well as more outdoor classes and activities. Studies on trauma-informed care have been researched heavily over the past decade. More research is needed with a focus on the educators and staff attending to the children. There has been more research on secondary or vicarious trauma among front-line workers and much less for educators. Therefore, whole school trauma-informed pilot programs are imperative for the health and wellness of staff and students to assess their safety and efficacy to convince the government to mandate all schools to be trauma-informed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Recognizing and treating psychological trauma in abused children during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictive measures have had a significant impact on the mental health of the entire population, especially children and adolescents. It seems appropriate to make a distinction between stressful events, which most families have experienced, and real traumatic experiences, which only the most vulnerable individuals have been victims of. In fact, the most recent data (WHO, 2020) show a significant increase in the rates of intra-family violence against women and minors around the world, during the period of the lockdown. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the spectrum of symptoms that the experience of a complex trauma determines on children and adolescents, and at the same time to indicate the possible strategies to facilitate the early detection of distress indicators and implement the necessary interventions in emergency contexts in an integrated and multilevel perspective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Italian) La pandemia da COVID-19 e le relative misure restrittive hanno avuto un impatto signifi cativo sulla salute mentale di tutta la popolazione, soprattutto di bambini e di adolescenti. Appare opportuno operare una distinzione tra eventi stressanti, di cui hanno fatto esperienza la maggior parte delle famiglie, e vere e proprie esperienze traumatiche, di cui sono state vittime soltanto i soggetti piu vulnerabili. I dati piu recenti (WHO, 2020), infatti, evidenziano un incremento signifi cativo dei tassi di violenza intrafamiliare nei confronti di donne e minori in tutto il mondo, durante il periodo del lockdown. L'obiettivo di questo articolo e illustrare i quadri sintomatologici che l'esperienza di un trauma complesso determina su bambini e adolescenti, indicando allo stesso tempo, le possibili strategie per facilitare la rilevazione precoce degli indicatori di disagio e avviare gli interventi necessari in contesti emergenziali in un'ottica integrata e multilivello. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Could clinical supervision help us to support increasingly complex needs in the community?

This paper presents qualitative research exploring the benefits of clinical supervision for workers supporting people experiencing multiple disadvantages. The clinical supervision supported worker wellbeing, lessened compassion fatigue and created space for workers to think creatively, manage risk and develop trauma-informed and reflective practice. Clinical supervision may be one solution to the growing demand, more complex needs and higher stress, burnout and fatigue among workers faced by the voluntary sector following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trauma responsive approaches in education: A review of the current literature to address the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a traumatic experience that has impacted children for almost 2 years. As schools return to face-to-face settings, it will be vital to consider how schools can manage the transition and address the issues of trauma in students and educators. The purpose of this extended literature review is to evaluate how teachers and children alike are suffering through stress, Complex-PTSD, and PTSD as they navigate the new complexities faced within education. This extended literature review is centered on the topic of trauma in children as well as trauma-informed approaches to education. The designs, implementations, outcomes, and associated challenges and barriers of existing trauma-informed approaches in schools are discussed to provide an overview of the current state of trauma-informed education. This literature review will yield a product in training that will entail solutions for the research questions, including an appraisal of the school system and a holistic perspective applied to the entire school system. After completing this extended literature review, the researcher recommends the implementation of the whole school approach in online education, a collaborative approach with a team specifically dedicated towards trauma-informed education, a synchronous class design with fewer students, as well as more outdoor classes and activities. Studies on trauma-informed care have been researched heavily over the past decade. More research is needed with a focus on the educators and staff attending to the children. There has been more research on secondary or vicarious trauma among front-line workers and much less for educators. Therefore, whole school trauma-informed pilot programs are imperative for the health and wellness of staff and students to assess their safety and efficacy to convince the government to mandate all schools to be trauma-informed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Key features of a trauma-informed public health emergency approach: A rapid review.

COVID-19 is a major threat to public safety, and emergency public health measures to protect lives (e.g., lockdown, social distancing) have caused widespread disruption. While these measures are necessary to prevent catastrophic trauma and grief, many people are experiencing heightened stress and fear. Public health measures, risks of COVID-19 and stress responses compound existing inequities in our community. First Nations communities are particularly at risk due to historical trauma, ongoing socio-economic deprivation, and lack of trust in government authorities as a result of colonization. The objective of this study was to review evidence for trauma-informed public health emergency responses to inform development of a culturally-responsive trauma-informed public health emergency framework for First Nations communities. We searched relevant databases from 1/1/2000 to 13/11/2020 inclusive, which identified 40 primary studies (and eight associated references) for inclusion in this review. Extracted data were subjected to framework and thematic synthesis. No studies reported evaluations of a trauma-informed public health emergency response. However, included studies highlighted key elements of a "trauma-informed lens," which may help to consider implications, reduce risks and foster a sense of security, wellbeing, self- and collective-efficacy, hope and resilience for First Nations communities during COVID-19. We identified key elements for minimizing the impact of compounding trauma on First Nations communities, including: a commitment to equity and human rights, cultural responsiveness, good communication, and positive leadership. The six principles guiding trauma-informed culturally-responsive public health emergency frameworks included: (i) safety, (ii) empowerment, (iii) holistic support, (iv) connectedness and collaboration, (v) compassion and caring, and (vi) trust and transparency in multi-level responses, well-functioning social systems, and provision of basic services. These findings will be discussed with First Nations public health experts, together with data on the experiences of First Nations families and communities during COVID-19, to develop a trauma-integrated public health emergency response framework or "lens" to minimize compounding trauma for First Nations communities.

A Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed Public Health Emergency Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in Australia, Developed during COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted peoples' livelihoods and mental wellbeing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia continue to experience intergenerational trauma associated with colonization and may experience trauma-related distress in response to government responses to public health emergencies. We aimed to develop a culturally responsive trauma-informed public health emergency response framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led study involved: (i) a review of trauma-informed public health emergency responses to develop a draft framework (ii) interviews with 110 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents about how COVID-19 impacted their lives, and (iii) a workshop with 36 stakeholders about pandemic experiences using framework analysis to refine a culturally responsive trauma-informed framework. The framework included: an overarching philosophy (cultural humility, safety and responsiveness); key enablers (local leadership and Eldership); supporting strategies (provision of basic needs and resources, well-functioning social systems, human rights, dignity, choice, justice and ethics, mutuality and collective responsibility, and strengthening of existing systems); interdependent core concepts (safety, transparency, and empowerment, holistic support, connectedness and collaboration, and compassion, protection and caring); and central goals (a sense of security, resilience, wellbeing, self- and collective-efficacy, hope, trust, resilience, and healing from grief and loss).

Risk of Suicidal Behavior in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Maltreatment: The Mediating Role of Borderline Personality Traits and Recent Stressful Life Events.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with increased non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behavior (SB), independently of demographic and mental health conditions. Self-Trauma Theory and Linehan's Biopsychosocial Model might explain the emergence of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) symptoms as mediators of the association between CM and the risk of SB. However, little is known regarding such relationships when the exposure is recent for young persons. Here, we study 187 youths aged 7-17, with or without mental disorders. We explore CM experiences (considering the severity and frequency of different forms of neglect and abuse), recent stressful life events (SLEs), some BPD traits (emotion dysregulation, intense anger and impulsivity), and the risk of SB (including NSSI, suicide threat, suicide ideation, suicide plan and suicide attempt). We study the direct and mediating relationships between these variables via a structural equation analysis using the statistical software package EQS. Our findings suggest that youths exposed to more severe/frequent CM have more prominent BPD traits, and are more likely to have experienced recent SLEs. In turn, BPD traits increase the risk of SLEs. However, only emotion dysregulation and recent SLEs were found to be correlated with SB. Therefore, targeted interventions on emotion dysregulation are necessary to prevent NSSI or SB in children and adolescents exposed to CM, as is the minimization of further SLEs.

Understanding COVID-19 through a Complex Trauma Lens: Implications for Effective Psychosocial Responses.

The psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on individuals, families, and communities will likely persist for years to come. While briefing notes informed by disaster psychology and crisis management have been released to guide social workers and other mental health professionals in their work during the pandemic, the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 may require inclusion of additional theories of trauma and resilience. Thus, this article first examines the application of complex trauma theory as an effective framework for assessing the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic, especially among individuals with prior trauma exposure, those with preexisting mental illness, and communities affected by marginalization and historical trauma. Authors then discuss the importance of using trauma-informed practice to address the effects of the pandemic on both individual and community levels during this unprecedented moment in history.