Holly Dotson, LPC-S | DCAC’s Director of Clinical Services
Every child reacts differently to experiencing child abuse, and the entire spectrum of these responses can be normal. Though reactions may vary, there are some symptoms reported by children and their family members that qualify under the criteria of Post-Taumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At DCAC, our therapy team is tasked with assessing, diagnosing, and treating children and families who have been victims of criminal child abuse. The therapies we use are focused on treating symptoms of trauma and have been shown to reduce the impact PTSD has on a child’s functioning. The specific evidence-based treatments we use are:
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI)
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
In general, our trauma-processing treatments follow a similar trajectory, which includes the enhancement of coping skills, trauma processing, and enhancing future safety. This step-by-step progression allows the client to increasingly face their trauma while building skills to handle the related stress so they can ultimately refer to their abuse without experiencing overwhelming or intolerable distress.
We believe including the child’s eligible caregiver in these services is vital. Caregivers provide another perspective regarding the client’s functioning and are imperative in supporting a child through their healing by learning and implementing the therapy skills at home. Ultimately, therapy will end, but caregivers will remain a stable support in the child’s life.
We pride ourselves in the use of these treatment models because we know children and families get better by using them. In 2022, over 70% of DCAC clients showed a reduction in trauma symptoms because of our trauma-informed therapy services. Additionally, the children who do not see a direct reduction in symptoms on standardized measures have built coping skills for their symptoms and experience less functional impairment.
PTSD does not have to be a lifelong diagnosis. DCAC instills hope in children and families who have been through tragedy. We see every day that healing is possible.
