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Trauma Centered Psychotherapy
Our general orientation is called Trauma-Centered Psychotherapy, which consists of addressing the impact of severe traumatic events in a person’s life in a relatively direct and immediate manner. Traumatic experiences are assessed through a thorough history in the beginning of treatment, and then are referred to when they appear to be interfering in a person’s current life. The general tendency among people in society, including clients and therapists, to avoid discussing these terrible events is not adhered to in our Center. Too often we have found that clients have been misdiagnosed with numerous other disorders, and given ineffective treatments, due to an inadequate appreciation and assessment of trauma.
Beyond our general orientation, we have a number of ongoing treatment formats that we have been using and investigating over the years. These include:
Women’s Trauma Program
This group therapy program is a 16 week, structured treatment for women who have been traumatized and for whom other methods of treatment have brought only slight relief. Dr. Lubin and her staff conduct this program, which has demonstrated consistently strong results. Potential clients must be screened first by Dr. Lubin.
The Counting Method
This treatment is a brief desensitization procedure that we have developed in conjunction with its founder, Dr. Frank Ochberg. Like EMDR and Prolonged Exposure, the Counting Method has been found to produce relatively rapid benefits to people who are experiencing intrusive recollections of their traumatic events. Sessions consist of clients’ remembering their events while the therapist counts out loud to 100. For more information, please visit the website www.countingmethod.com.
Open Conversation Family Therapy
The Center has developed a model for family-based work with traumatized children, as well as for families in crisis. In this model, the family meets with a team of therapists, each of whom also meets with individuals within the family. The purpose is to help the family identify the ways that current problems trigger traumatic memories, and to practice having an open conversation about the past as it impacts on the present.
Homecoming and Disclosure Issues
The Center has been conducting research on the impact of the “homecoming” and disclosure of the trauma on the victim. Earlier research showed that how a trauma victim was supported or not supported immediately after the event, or after they revealed it, may have significant effects on the severity of the symptoms of PTSD they develop. We continue to examine these issues through an ongoing research study and within our treatment efforts.
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