Teen Trauma Treatment In Tennessee
- Written By: Mitchell Kline
- Reviewed By: Stephanie Weatherly, DNP, PMH RN-BC, FACHE
Explore our teen & adolescent trauma treatment program at Embrace U in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Trauma in Teenage and Adolescent Populations
Emotional trauma can be triggered by any event in which a teen feels intensely threatened, whether they are directly experiencing the event or just witnessing it. This could include bullying, natural disasters, a car accident, injury, loss of a loved one, or family disruptions. Trauma is considered a disruptive emotional response to a disturbing experience. Disruptive, in this sense, means that a child experiences such intense emotions that they have trouble functioning as they normally would in their day-to-day life.
Trauma and its effects on adolescents have reached the forefront of the mental health field in recent years. While research on childhood trauma continues several studies suggest it can have both biological and psychological impacts. Trauma has been shown to negatively affect many of the neurobiological systems responsible for cognitive development and regulation of emotions and behavior, according to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
More than half of the children who participated in the most recent National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence reported that they either experienced or witnessed victimization in the past year, such as physical assault, maltreatment, or domestic or community violence. As children age, there are more opportunities for them to be exposed to trauma and experience traumatic events. A study by the National Center for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) polled 4,023 teenagers aged 12-17 and found that almost half of them had witnessed or experienced some sort of violence. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that more than two-thirds of children have reported at least one traumatic event by the age of 16.
PTSD in Adolescents
Experiencing a traumatic event could lead to PTSD, a mental health diagnosis in which individuals can experience flashbacks and nightmares. Adolescents experiencing PTSD are more likely than younger children to engage in traumatic reenactment, in which they incorporate aspects of the trauma into their daily lives, according to the National Center for PTSD. Teens are more likely than younger children or adults to exhibit impulsive and aggressive behaviors. PTSD can also lead to a hyperawareness of one’s surroundings, cause jumpiness or even lead to a child feeling dissociated or disconnected from their body. Studies indicate that 5% of adolescents aged 13-18 meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis, with PTSD affecting girls more than boys.
How Therapy Can Help Adolescents Experiencing Trauma
Embrace U and its team of board-certified clinicians are well-informed and ready to offer your teenager trauma treatment. We have a program specialized for children aged 10-18, offering group therapy with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), ACT, and RO-DBT theoretical focus to help your teenager learn healthy coping skills and offer them a safe space to open up and process through their trauma.
Embrace U is a treatment facility in Brentwood, Tennessee, that specializes in trauma treatment for teenagers. Our board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist can help diagnose and assist in treatment for your teen. Embrace U also offers family support, family therapy, and group experiences to help your teen develop coping skills, effective communication skills, and stronger self-esteem. Call (615) 656-8624 or visit embraceu.com today to receive more information about the adolescent trauma treatment program.
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Signs Of Trauma In Teens And Adolescents
With traumatic experiences being so common in this population, it’s important to know what some of the signs and symptoms of traumatic stress look like in teens. Listed below are some of the ways trauma and traumatic stress can show up in adolescents:
- Feeling depressed or anxious
- Isolating
- Developing eating disorders
- Self-harming behaviors
- Substance abuse
- Engaging in high-risk behaviors
- Impulsive or aggressive behavior
- Overreacting to small problems
- Disrupted sleep
- Loss of interest in friends and hobbies
- Difficulties with memory and concentration
If your child is experiencing any of these signs or symptoms, they may be dealing with traumatic stress. These signs and symptoms are common in adolescents who have experienced traumatic stress, but a certified professional should make an assessment to judge whether or not your teen has PTSD or is dealing with traumatic stress.
UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
Adolescent Trauma Treatment
Treating trauma in adolescents is 100% possible at Embrace U in Brentwood, Tennessee. Embrace U group therapy programs give your teen the opportunity to relate to peers who are struggling in similar ways. Group therapy provides a safe space with a licensed clinician for teenagers to explore and discuss the issues they are facing. Discussing mental health struggles with peers can help your teenager feel heard and understood by people their own age, reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Group therapy can help your teen to build healthy relationships with peers and others, make better choices, and learn coping skills to help manage their emotions and behaviors. This opportunity to open up about traumatic events and relate to others who have had similar experiences can be an incredibly emotionally impactful and healing aspect of trauma treatment for your teenager.
Embrace U offers a variety of group therapies so that your teenager has a variety of trauma treatment tools available to them for their healing journey. Some of the groups that your adolescent will have access to at Embrace U are:
Embrace U is an adolescent mental health clinic in Brentwood, TN that helps children aged 10-18 years develop new coping skills, improve their self-confidence, learn effective communication skills, form relationships, and lead healthy, happy, productive lives. We offer both intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs to help teens who are struggling to manage the symptoms of a mental illness.