Description
501: Story-informed Trauma Therapy: A New Approach to Trauma Recovery
Byron Kehler, M.S.
Wister Park Counseling
11630 SE 40th Ave.
Milwaukie, OR 97222
Summary
Trauma is the “gateway” to various psychological, emotional, physiological, social, and relational sequelae, dysfunctions, and disorders. Trauma, in one form or another, is what brings most of our clients into therapy. Story Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT) is an evidence-based, comprehensive approach to trauma recovery. The strongest influence on our present behavior is our past experiences. Those experiences make up our “stories.” When we live with unresolved stories, they resurface and replay themselves out continuously in our daily lives. This presentation introduces “story” as the lens through which trauma experiences are examined. When we do not understand our stories, we are left victim to their impact on our lives in the present. Thus, we either know, understand, and accept our stories or our stories live us.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
• Outline how unresolved trauma is at the root of a client’s presenting issues
• Evaluate why traditional therapy does not produce the life change that many clients desire and what their most common complaint is of their previous therapy
• Describe why Storywork is the most effective therapy for licensed mental health professionals for resolving past trauma and producing deep, substantive life change
• List the stages of Story Informed Trauma Therapy and the issues that they address
• Demonstrate how Storywork can be implemented into your therapeutic practice increasing your effectiveness and creating lasting life change for your clients
