NEW FACILITY ENHANCES MISSION OF CENTER FOR TRAUMA RECOVERY

by Becky Rickard

The Center for Trauma Recovery has moved to a new location in the lower level of the Kathy J. Weinman Children's Advocacy Center and Institute for Trauma Recovery.

The center began as a research and educational facility dedicated to furthering solutions for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other symptoms of trauma survivors.

In 1996, the Center for Trauma Recovery began clinical services. Like most clinics, it operates on a sliding scale and uses up-to-date counseling and therapy techniques designed for trauma survivors. The types of trauma handled by the center are sexual assault, intimate partner violence, accidents, disasters, robberies and physical assault. Other types of trauma include violence based on sexual orientation or race and surviving the homicide or suicide of a loved one.

The Center for Trauma Recovery is involved with on-going research. One program offers free recovery sessions for victims of sexual assault. The center is also participating in a national research assessment study mapping the natural recovery of sexual assault survivors.

Another service performed by the Center for Trauma Recovery is debriefings, or meetings with trauma survivors that allow the incident to be discussed emotionally and factually while providing education about the effects of trauma on survivors. The center offered to conduct debriefings with employees, children and parents involved with the University Child Development Center at UM-St. Louis after the tragic death of teacher Christina Green in the Bi-State accident on June 12.

"It was important for the staff members to realize their own feelings so that the children could get in touch with their feelings," Lynn Navin, director of the University Child Development Center, said.

"You don't want to cry in front of the children without an explanation," she added.

The difference between the Center for Trauma Recovery and the stereotypical counselor is that all of the staff are trauma specialists whereas the average counselor may have training in the area but may not be considered a specialist.

"Some counselors tend to take the patient's lead, avoiding the incident, which is exactly the wrong thing to do to get over trauma," stated Millie C. Astin, staff psychologist and project director for research and grants.

The director of the Center for Trauma Recovery, Patricia A. Resick, has developed a type of treatment for PTSD, named Cognitive Processing Therapy, that is often used to treat trauma survivors with an astounding 85% success rate.

The Center offers education and training programs in Cognitive Process Therapy and traumatization management. Mini conferences and free lectures are also available throughout the year.