Do you wonder whether your psychological distress results from a past traumatic experience?
A trauma-informed evaluation is a collaborative assessment process designed to gauge the impact of distressing and overwhelming events, along with adverse life experiences that may have originated in early childhood, on an individual’s emotional and psychological well-being.
Trauma can take various forms, including acts of war, terrorism, motor vehicle accidents, sexual abuse, childhood neglect, domestic violence, as well as natural disasters such as flooding, hurricanes, or tornadoes. Exposure to trauma is widespread—studies suggest that up to 70 percent of individuals potentially had instances of traumatic events in their lives. This prevalence tends to be even higher for people struggling with mental health or substance use disorders. Unfortunately, many trauma survivors either receive inaccurate diagnoses or go undiagnosed for specific conditions.
Through a series of four 50-minute sessions employing a range of assessment tools, a trauma-informed evaluation pursues three objectives. First, it aims to identify the specific types of trauma to which an individual has been exposed. Second, it gauges the severity of the traumatic events experienced. And third, it uncovers how trauma-related symptoms impact an individual’s current functioning and beliefs about self and others. The assessment provides crucial insights into the role of trauma, sets appropriate treatment goals, and outlines ongoing diagnostic and treatment considerations.
As a trauma assessment can be done in just four 50-minute sessions, it might work for you if you are hesitant about making a long-term therapy commitment.