Trauma/PTSD Specialist, Trauma Coach
What is a Trauma Recovery Coach?
Lets first define what trauma is- “Psychological trauma that involves experiences (witnessed or confronted) with extreme human suffering, severe bodily harm or injury, coercive exploitation or harassment, sexual violation, ethno violence, politically-based violence or immediate threat of death (Marcenich, 2009)
Trauma Recovery Coaching consists of helping functioning (even partially) individuals set and achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and maintain motivation while trying to move past trauma that they have suffered as a child or adult. When trauma happens, you do not have to deal with it by yourself. As a trauma coach, I will work with trauma survivors as peers, mentors, guides and educators with the goal of helping their clients understand the recovery process, reconnect with themselves and the world while using their strengths to build a life they love living.
Dr. Loretta Ann has extensive education and experience working with Trauma and PTSD clientele. Her background as a doctorate level psychotherapist and survivor of 9/11 gave her on hands experience. As a survivor of a significant amount of abuse, she is currently writing a book on trauma where she defines it, explains it and then relates it to the reader so that they can heal as she has done. As a Trauma Coach Loretta can help alleviate symptoms in trauma survivors by helping to create new positive experiences and diffusing event flashbacks. We assist with emotional and conversational intelligence, give language to feelings when possible, supporting when there is no language for these, learning to manage the window of tolerance and supporting our clients to start to create a picture of a better future that they want for themselves, building the capacity little by little over time. As a Solution-Focused Trauma Informed Coach, Loretta can acknowledge and honor the past were it is, honor the person for who they are now and focus in on starting to bring an awareness to the present and the positive possibilities of the future, including post traumatic growth. Loretta bring awareness to other feelings that may/may not serve the client at this time such as anger and unnecessary arousal.
From a Trauma Informed Coaching perspective, the coaching tools or approaches that have proven to be most effective for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are:
· Finding a coach that has the passion of working with those who have suffered living with trauma. Loretta has treated PTSD in her practice as a psychotherapist for 15 years and now as a Life/Trauma Coach.
· Ensure that the Trauma Coach that you want to work with provides you a safe and supportive coaching environment.
· To the best of your capability seek a trauma coach that assists his or her clients to recognize and acknowledge the impact of trauma.
· A good trauma coach does not place judgement, and never should a client feel as if he or she is being judge. This type of atmosphere is not a supportive coaching environment.
· Form a safety plan for the client is significant. No matter what the trauma, clients experience triggers to his or her trauma. A trauma coach and the client need to work on what decreases anxiety and panic regarding trauma triggers.
· The Trauma Informed Coach must leave their own “agenda” aside and out of the coaching sessions. A coach of your choice should want to seek as many ideas and believe in the resourcefulness of the client. Even when you, the client do not believe themselves.
· A Trauma Coach should always want an outcome to be specific to you, the client’s needs, and what you want as the client. In a coaching relationship of any sort, the client is the expert not the therapist. However, the therapist’s education and experiences can be used in the coaching session to teach the client how to overcome obstacles that include trauma related symptoms.
· Implementing Short-term goals- Not overwhelming you as the client is significant. In coaching, you the client, develop your own assignments and homework. Positive short-term goals are essential during the coaching process until the client desires to bust through more difficult ones.
Dr. Loretta Ann believes the essential element needed to be within a coaching relationship is trust. The client needs to know that even when the other areas of their life may be in turmoil, they can trust and know that the coach is there to listen and guide them breaking through obstacles.
Trauma Informed Coaches must be able to conduct sessions with you, the client that may have lengthy silences, involve highly agitated states, or involve shutdowns in the movement. Loretta has not only experienced these issues from a victim perspective, but she is seasoned in treating them from a psychotherapist/coach perspective. Dr. Loretta Ann believes in educating her clients and providing them with the Trauma Recovery Empowerment Profile Tools (TREP) needed. TREP is simply “a toolbox filled with tools or coping skills to heal and work through trauma and or future traumatic events. A good example of a TREP tool is meditating or journaling. Loretta has the resources and has gone through this course herself, to assist you in gaining the tools needed to heal and overcome trauma.
TREP- This model draws on cognitive–behavioral, skills training, and psychoeducational techniques to address recovery and healing from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. TREP consists of three major parts. The first section, on empowerment, helps group members learn strategies for self-comfort and accurate self-monitoring as well as ways to establish safe physical and emotional boundaries. The second component of TREP focuses more directly on trauma experience and its consequences. In the third section, focus shifts explicitly to skills building. These sessions include emphases on communication style, decision-making, regulating overwhelming feelings, and establishing safer, more reciprocal relationships
.The overall goal of Trauma Informed Coaching is to support the client to move towards mastery of their particular situation and supporting you, the client, to find and learn ways, such as practice tools (TREP) and skillsets. This will help the client move towards a life that they want to create for themselves. Perhaps a calm and peaceful and more enriched life.
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