Trauma Clinic's Trauma Model

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TraumaClinic’s Model for Trauma Support: How family, friends and employers can support victims after a traumatic event When people experienced a traumatic event it is often unexpected, sudden and overwhelming. It is common for trauma victims to have very strong emotional responses during the aftermath of a traumatic incident. Consequentially family members, friends or employers may feel overwhelmed or even at a loss on how to react to these responses. TraumaClinic’s Model for Trauma Support is a model that assists professionals and empowers the lay person to offer support that can sufficiently help a victim along the path to recovery. The Model systematically addresses the stages of recovery after a traumatic event, it explains what normal responses to an abnormal event are and it emphasises the factors that can optimise a victim’s recovery. It is important to note that there is not one ‘standard’ pattern of responses to the extreme stress of traumatic events. Some people feel the impact immediately; some have a delayed response while some recover rather quickly. The type and severity of the traumatic event also influences a victim’s risk to develop Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rape victims, for example, have the highest incidence of PTSD while victims of criminal violence, motor vehicle accidents and natural disasters have a low incidence of PTSD. What makes a difference though to a victim's risk of developing full blown PTSD or other depressive and anxiety disorders are, amongst others, adequate social support from significant others. Knowing therefore what emotional and behavioural responses to expect, as well as the factors that can promote recovery, is a first step for family, friends and employers towards supporting a trauma victim. The TraumaClinic Model describes Trauma support in terms of three stages (Van Wyk, 2004). Stage one is known as

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