Trauma-focused therapy emphasises the impact of adverse and traumatic experience on our well-being and addresses it directly. A distinct feature is the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, a particular and very distressing reaction to trauma, by reprocessing trauma memories.
However, as people’s responses to trauma vary enormously, this therapy can take different forms and draws upon different treatment models. Its key principles include re-establishing safety; regulating emotions; processing the trauma; addressing its impact; re-claiming one’s life; and reconnecting with the world.