Uncertain Times: Building a Trauma-Informed Practice in the current, anxiety driven environment

The current global pandemic, which can well qualify as mass trauma, has not only brought unpredictability and loss of control but has also resulted in a wide range of losses: death of loved ones, loss of physical and mental health, loss of social interaction, loss of employment and a loss of self-agency. This is manifest in a range of mental health problems including depression, anxiety disorder, trauma and stress-related disorders as well as substance misuse and chronic loneliness. In addition, people with underlying mental health problems or a history of childhood trauma have experienced a reactivation of past traumas and intensification of symptoms.

In short, the need for us all, as therapists, to be trauma-informed in our therapeutic approaches has perhaps never been greater.