The Devastating Impact of Trauma on Children and Adolescents

Posted on by Mark Moran

The mental health crisis in the world is not just due to mental pathologies but also equally due to trauma induced upon children.  The World Health Organization estimates that 2 out of 3 children in the United States to 75 percent of children worldwide will experience some type of trauma before age 16 (Compton, 2024., p. 199).  This can range from a variety of natural traumas but also human induced traumas and social settings that lead to Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACE.    Aside from natural disasters or deaths of family members, many traumas include physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect and communal levels of poverty, lack of resources, or communities with higher crime rates (Compton, 2024, p. 200).   Other children may experiences war zones, terrorism, refugee life, human trafficking, or famine and disease.

Trauma has devastating effects on children’s life schemas, neural development and social and behavioral interactions. Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral and Mental Healthcare Certifications

Innocent minds that are exposed to the cruelty of life at an early age without care or guidance can lead to future mental crisis that lashes out against the world and society.  While never justified, many of these injured individuals later injure others through crime, violence, shootings, and abuse.  Broken creatures abused can sometimes fail to see a loving God, or fair world and see life as a competition of kill or be killed.  Amazingly, many still become good people but nonetheless suffer from immeasurable emotional and mental pain that can cripple them from having a successful life in interacting and behaving with others.

The corruption of innocence is the purest form of evil.  When littles ones are corrupted, one can only think of the verse from the Bible and the words of Jesus Christ, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better to him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and drowned in the depth of the sea (Matt 18:6).  I think whether Christian or Atheist, religious or secular, one can agree with these words and understand the importance of protecting children and helping them heal.  The scars of trauma can cause future traumas to society, so it is important to understand the affects of trauma on children and how if left untreated can realign a child’s future into one of increased pain, maladaptive coping and social dysfunction.

Please also review AIHCP’s Mental and Behavioral Health Certifications, including its Trauma Informed Care Certification.

The Vulnerability of Children to Effects of Trauma

The innocence of children makes them more susceptible to abuse.  In addition, their size and inability to defend themselves emotionally and physically also make them targets for further abuse or less able to defend themselves against various threats.  Since children’s brains are still developing, trauma of any type can have greater long term negative effects on their development.  Trauma and abuse can stunt social development because of the  increased neuroplasticity of the child’s brain as compared to any other age,  During this phase, the brain is forming new neuropathways and cognitively is learning and associating learning and new experiences with how one interacts and properly behaves.  Neglect, trauma and abuse can alter proper pathways and instead create negative lasting impressions on the brain that reduce trust and the concept of safety, as well as mental health, relationships, and overall life schemas (Compton, 2024, p. 141).

The brain itself during developed can be damaged due to severe trauma in children. Trauma in children can negatively affect the brain’s ability to cooperate and communicate with other parts of the brain.  Compton refers to this as Neural dis-integration (2024, p. 142). When trauma occurs the brain dis-integrates neural networks causing this lack of communication and cooperation which leaves some parts of the brain disrupted from certain important neurochemicals.  This can also lead to various issues with the amygdala, hippocampus and other prefrontal cortex regions (Compton, 2024, p. 142).  The longer chronic trauma remains, the more altered the child’s world view may become leading to less reasoning, learning and impulse control and replaced with distorted thinking and feelings about the world.

Children who respond to trauma exhibit the same responses adults experience when the sympathetic nervous system is activated.  Children will fight, flight, freeze or fawn like anyone else but these reactions by children also exhibit within their daily lives.  Children in chronic stress due to abuse or neglect will experience not only physical health issues but also cognitive and emotional issues.  Children who display fight as a primary response will exhibit more aggressive, defiant or confrontational behavior in life.  Children who display flight as a primary response will exhibit avoidance and escapism in life.  Children who display freeze as a primary response will exhibit lack of lack of normal emotional responses or motor activity in life.  Finally, children who display fawn will exhibit more appeasing and pleasing behaviors in life (Compton, 2024, p. 143).

 

ACE AND PCE

Adverse childhood experiences and Positive childhood experiences play a large role in a person’s life and their future mental health.  It also plays a large role in a person’s ability to form healthy attachment schemas in life.  Adverse childhood experiences refer to events that affect a child’s life in a negative way. These adverse childhood experiences can be  actual events but also deeper seeded social issues that act as roots to the trauma tree and its many branches and fruits.  Adverse Community Environments or roots of the problem include multiple negative social issues such as poverty, discrimination, community disruption, lack of economic mobility and opportunity, poor housing and frequent exposure to social violence.

Braffenbrenner proposed various systems that play a large role around one’s development.  The microsystem is a person or child’s immediate circle of family, friends, school, or for adults work.  The next phase in the circle includes the exosystem which includes mass media, extended family, as well as local government.  The macrosystem and next layer to the circle includes major economic, political and cultural issues.  Finally, the most outward layer i the chronosystem of major changes and shifts in life which can be personal losses, or major national changes in life such as a pandemic or war.  These shifts are predictable and unpredictable, as well as positive and negative.   These systems can all affect other systems which in turn can affect the child or person.

In regards to positive childhood experiences, or PCE, the Hope National Research Center did substantial research on the effect of PCE in a person’s life.  Obviously, a person with more positive events in childhood will have a more stable mental outlook in life.  Even those with 1 to 2 positive experiences, according to the research, showed a 51 percent of better mental health outcomes.  3 to 5 positive experiences led to 75 percent better chance of good mental health, and 6 to 7 PCE illustrated over 90 percent better mental health.  Even if one experienced 4 ACE or adverse childhood experiences, the presence of PCE balanced out less stability in the person’s mental health.  Those with higher PCE in their childhood, move on to not only have better mental health, but also better academic scores, degrees, income and employment.   Even more amazing is the fact that even individuals with very little ACE, but also very little PCE or none, grew up to have more mental health issues just due to the fact there was nothing positive as a child.  This leads to the crucial importance of PCE laid out by the Hope National Research Center.  Children need stability and positive experiences to balance out any bad but to also give them the tools they  need to grow into healthy adults.  This falls into place with healthy and stable relationships, environments, engagements in social developments, and emotional growth opportunities.  In many ways, these correlates with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and ensuring these basic needs are met for children to promote healthy emotional and mental health.

In essence, as caregivers, what we give our children is what our future will be.

Attachment Schemas

A child void of unnecessary traumas and who is supported by loving caregivers during times of distress form a healthy worldview about life.  There is trust and there is safety and there are resources available to overcome negative events.  These secure attachment schemas leave the child with hope and as the child enters into adulthood, presents the child with the necessary beliefs and skills to form health and secure relationships.  In addition, the child will have a healthier self worth of one’s value as a human being.  This does not mean, the child’s life was perfect.  No-one has a perfect and suffering free life, but the child was given support in the good and bad days physically, emotionally and mentally (Compton, 2024, p. 145).

Children who are neglected, abused, exposed to trauma and receive no support, care, or safety grow up with a very different view on life.  Different attachment schemas develop from this neglect.  Anxious attachment in children is one type schema that develops from lack of a safe and loving environment.  Children with anxious attachment schemas possess a fear and uncertainty of how a caregiver will respond in a negative event.  Due to lack of consistent love and care, these children experience a lack of self confidence. They may doubt their own abilities and became very dependent on others.  Anxious attachment is closely associated with heightened anxiety to threats which in turn leads to children have exaggerated responses that deny the child the ability to soothe oneself (Compton, 2024, p. 146).  This type of anxious disorder leads to a behavior that does not trust, nor is able to with confidence handle life long issues without dependence upon others.  Children can exhibit this when stressors strike.

Children who experience trauma and neglect from primary caregivers can develop anxious, avoidant or disorganized attachment schemas to understand life

Another schema that can develop is the Avoidant attachment schema.  This dismissive attitude is the opposite reaction of the Anxious attachment schema because it leaves the child to avoid all help from caregivers.  It forges a unhealthy self reliance that fears intimacy and the words of others.   These individuals are hesitant to ask for help and are skeptical of others intentions.  In turn, they have a difficult time forming relationships and working with others.  This prevents the child and later adult from forming meaningful and emotional relationships (Compton, 2024, p. 147).

Finally, some children develop a Disorganized attachment schema.  Due to inconsistent and unpredictable caregiver outcomes, these children do not form a consistent reaction but present a disorganized reaction that at times can turn to someone and in other instances push someone away.  This chaos results from the caregivers inconsistent approaches of giving security at one moment, then perhaps abuse in another moment.  This type of chaos creates a very confused child with multiple internal conflicts.  This leads to severe dysregulation and lack of emotional control.  Many who develop Disorganized attachment are at higher risk for mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and ADHD (Compton, 2024, p. 147).

Reestablishing Health Schemas

Fortunately, safe-guarders such as teachers, educators, counselors, pastors, or even friends can help reestablish healthier schemas.  The brain can re-learn that security exists but this takes time, patience, and love.  The relearning of healthier schemas is referred to as “earned-secure attachment” (Compton, 2024, p.148).  Helpers can reinitiate the attachment cycle and help children heal.  Calm caregivers can help children by hoping them co-regulate their emotions.  The child can borrow and regulate from the safety and peace of a regulated adult (Compton, 2024, p. 148).  Through this newly forged relationship, new trust and new secure schemas can re-emerge.  This is by far not easy.  The previous schemas are firmly planted but they can slowly give way to new ways of thought within the neuroplasticity of the brain and form new neuropathways with better experiences.  It is important to note that individuals from trauma go through phases of reintegration.  First they feel unsafe with the world.  As security arises, they may start to feel safe but still trust no-one.  Once trust and security is given, victims can begin to regain power, build self esteem and then finally reconnect in secure attachments.

Counselors and caregivers can help children recover and heal from abuse.

Compton lists a few key elements that must be present in this re-scheming of a child’s worldview.  Children should feel safety in the emotional connection with the counselor or pastor.  They should feel a nurturing environment that accepts them.  When the child feels unconditionally loved and also secure, then the child can begin to lower his/her defenses.  Safety must also be experienced in guidance and discipline.  Children should be able to express their emotions without fear of ridicule or scolding or judgement.  Behavioral outbursts due to trauma need to be measured and understood as negative reactions to a traumatic event.   Instead of discipline, the child needs to learn to express and emotionally regulate and communicate the distress.  Instead, the counselor or new caregiver needs to communicate boundaries and the expected and consistent behavior associated with those boundaries.  Boundaries that are given with consistency, empathy and love can help the child understand better appropriate and inappropriate reactions that he/she has developed due to bad attachment schemas.   These types of boundaries lead to predictability.  When establishing a new and healthy schema, the child needs to again find security in a consistent responses to situations.  The inconsistent care is what caused the anxious and avoidant and disorganized schemas, so a consistent care plan can help a child feel security and what to expect in life.  This consistency and predictability gives order and the order gives the child security.  Finally, Compton emphasizes the importance of safety in play and connection.  Children need to play.  Play is a key part of their growth and where they also express themselves.  Children need to understand they are safe when playing and able to grow in a safe environment.  When such safety to play and feel secure is afforded on a consistent basis, the child is able to form more secure attachments (2024, P.149-152)>

Conclusion

The most criminal act is to steal a childhood from a child and rip away the innocence through abuse and trauma.  Unfortunately, many children suffer from trauma worldwide without any loving or healing voice.  Some may experience trauma at the hands of persons, others due to extreme poverty and crime, while others due to war and natural disaster.  These traumas negatively effect the whole child.  In turn, abused and traumatized children experience distorted schemas and views on life which included various mental and emotional issues that later creep into adult life. In regards to relational attachments, many children exhibit anxious, avoidant or disorganized patterns that negatively affect their socialization and trust.  Without trust, safety, and predictability many children develop anxiety, depression, and PTSD.  Fortunately, the human soul is resilient.  Caregivers can reconnect with children and help them form new experiences by allowing them to lean on and borrow from their healthy regulated mind.  In addition, new secure schemas can be reformed by providing safety, security, empathy, love, patience and forming boundaries and schedules that help the child heal and grow from past experiences.

Caregivers can help children and their minds heal. Please review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Certification Program

Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Healthcare Certifications, as well as its Trauma Informed Care Certification.

Additional Blogs

Attachment Disorder: Click here

RAD: Click here

Trauma and Counseling: Click here

Resource

Compton, L & Patterson, T (2024). “Skills for Safeguarding: A Guide to Preventing Abuse and Fostering Healing in the Church”.  Academic

Additional Resources

“Understanding Childhood Trauma and Its Long-Term Impact”. (2025). American SPCC. Access here

Copley, L. (2024). “Childhood Trauma & Its Lifelong Impact: 12 Resources”. Positive Psychology.  Access here

Morin, A.. (2023). “Understanding the Effects of Childhood Trauma” Very Well Mind.  Access here

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children” (2025). CDC. Access here

“Child Trauma” SAMHSA.  Access here

 

 

How Cleaning Protocols Influence Patient Safety and Accreditation Metrics

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

clean hospital room and bedsWritten by Veronica Turner.

Not too long ago, the idea that doctors had to wash their hands in between patients was absurd. It took trailblazers such as Ignaz Semmelweis to realize the existence of germs and understand the effects of pathogens. Thanks to them, hygiene, which includes thorough handwashing, is now a fundamental, non-negotiable standard for healthcare providers worldwide.

Modern healthcare units today have well-established cleaning procedures whose efficacy is reviewed periodically by accrediting organizations (like The Joint Commission) and enforced by regulators like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Such organizations use adherence to these protocols and infection prevention outcomes as key factors in their scoring systems. This means that, besides patient safety, a lapse in environmental hygiene can affect an organization’s financial health and accreditation status. 

In this article, we investigate how scientific evidence connects environmental cleaning to infection prevention, how monitoring systems enhance compliance, and the way in which these activities have a direct effect on accreditation metrics and reimbursement models.

Cleaning Protocols and Patient Safety

There is overwhelming evidence of the association between environmental cleaning and patient safety in the literature. Studies have confirmed that high-touch surfaces, such as sink and nurse call buttons, can be a source of pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE).

Without proper cleaning protocols, only about 48% of high-touch surfaces situated near patients are cleaned correctly, according to a multi-hospital study. This shows that gaps in routine protocols directly contribute to pathogen persistence and the risk of onward transmission. It’s also the reason why healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are one of the greatest hospital and long-term care facility risks and a factor leading to increased hospitalizations, increased cost of treatment, and additional mortality.

The Results of Proper Cleaning Protocols

Based on results from randomized controlled trials, we know that comprehensive cleaning schemes can prevent infection. A comprehensive cleaning scheme usually combines the latest disinfectant strategies, advanced technologies, and proper training to kill a broad spectrum of pathogens on various surfaces.

For example, in a trial (the BETR study), rooms that were cleaned using ultraviolet-C (UV-C) adjunct disinfection were associated with a 11% decrease in patient acquisition of target organisms. That meant fewer C. difficile and VRE infections hospitalwide. Additional clinical studies support that thorough terminal cleaning, especially in rooms previously housing infected patients, can reduce surface contamination by approximately 99%.

Many healthcare workers and even patients still remember the recent COVID-19 outbreak and the chaos it ensued. It was also a time for patients and healthcare workers to understand just how important cleaning can be. Sadly, the lack of well-established cleaning standards and monitoring systems led to numerous avoidable deaths.

Cleaning Protocols and Their Impact on Accreditation Metrics

Healthcare units everywhere should consider the existence and implementation of proper cleaning protocols as a part of their standard of care. In the U.S, organizations are somewhat forced to do this because their procedures are in plain view and open to scrutiny.

All patients have the right to fill in a standardized patient satisfaction survey after they’ve been treated in a hospital or clinic. The most important ones (that are also reported to authorities) are: 

  • HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems): available at the national level, and collects information on what patients think of the care they received during treatment.
  • CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems): a collection of surveys that allow patients to grade their experience in different healthcare scenarios, like hospitals, home healthcare, and specialty providers.

In addition to patient surveys, U.S. healthcare organizations are judged based on the Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) rates. The HAI rate represents the frequency with which patients develop an infection while receiving care for another condition. This infection must not be present in the patient or incubating at the time of admission. High HAI rates signal a problem with the quality and safety of care in that unit.

In short, cleaning protocols are a direct and effective method for improving patient outcomes and boosting a unit’s accreditation and safety ratings.

The Role of Monitoring and Auditing

Healthcare units need consistent monitoring to maintain effective cleaning practices. U.S. hospital data demonstrate that audit-and-feedback programs can increase cleaning effectiveness from less than half of surfaces cleaned (~47%) to more than 80% within months. 

Monitoring also encourages behavioral changes in hospital or clinic staff. When it’s clear that the organization keeps track of cleaning performance and brings up the topic during staff training, you create accountability mechanisms that are hard to ignore.

The methods used also have an impact on efficiency. Medical cleaning personnel are more likely to use easy-to-implement interventions that provide accurate, immediate feedback, such as fluorescent gel markers and adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

For example, fluorescent gel is the go-to in many units because of its ease of use. Cleaning services staff apply the gel to surfaces before cleaning, then shine a UV light on the surface to check for any glowing residue. If it glows, the surface is not entirely clean or thoroughly disinfected. 

The Financial Impact of Accreditation Metrics

Due to rules established by accredited bodies, there is a direct connection between Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) rates and institutional performance, accreditation, and reimbursement structures. This is also a way to encourage healthcare organizations to prioritize the safety of their patients and staff.

For example, the CMS established the HAC Reduction Program, which penalizes hospitals that fall into the worst-performing quartile based on their Total HAC Score. These organizations face a 1% reduction in Medicare payments. It may not sound like much, but it can amount to millions of dollars for large organizations. 

Another regulating body is the Joint Commission International (JCI), which evaluates and accredits more than 20,000 healthcare organizations in the United States and internationally. This agency considers infection control and cleaning protocols when evaluating performance.

The JCI “Gold Seal of Approval” is a strong indicator that a hospital or clinic is committed to patient safety and best practices. If an on-site inspection finds deficiencies in environmental cleaning, that organization could lose accreditation and face public scrutiny. 

Lastly, hospital-acquired conditions themselves are a financial burden, costing hospitals and clinics billions every year. Meanwhile, the cost of housekeeping and environmental services is between 3 and 6 million per hospital per year, on average (excluding extremely specialized infection control beyond normal protocols). 

In short, it’s more affordable to have proper cleaning protocols than to take shortcuts and gamble your patients’ safety and the organization’s reputation and accreditation.

How to Operationalize High-Quality Cleaning Protocols

Well-designed, high-quality cleaning protocols use a strategic, multifaceted approach that integrates staff training, modern technology, and a commitment to quality assurance.

Staff Training and Competency

Every healthcare unit needs an on-site environmental services team. These professionals are the first line of defense against HAIs and HACs and a cornerstone of a safe patient environment.

They must be well-trained in basic areas such as:

  • Scientific Principles: how pathogens are transmitted and why specific disinfectants are effective against certain microbes.
  • Protocol Adherence: Detailed, hands-on instruction on proper cleaning techniques for different surfaces and areas, including the correct sequence of cleaning to avoid cross-contamination.
  • Safety and PPE: Proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect both the worker and the patient.

Each healthcare unit must have a regular training schedule (e.g., once every three months) and a competency assessment system to ensure that staff maintain their skills and stay current with new best practices. Cleaning protocol training is not a one-and-done kind of thing. 

Technology and Innovation

Technology can make cleaning protocols more effective and efficient while reducing human error. It also makes the job safer and easier for cleaning staff, benefiting everyone involved in the process.

Here are a few examples of how modern technologies transform medical cleaning:

  • UV-C light disinfection (UV-C robots): These are automated systems that use ultraviolet light to destroy the DNA of germs, rendering them unable to replicate. They’re fast and can disinfect entire rooms, including hard-to-reach areas, in minutes.
  • Electrostatic Sprayers: This technology applies a positive charge to disinfectant droplets, causing them to cling to negatively charged surfaces. This ensures a more even and thorough coverage of complex and irregularly shaped objects like bed rails and medical equipment.
  • Monitoring and Verification Systems: As discussed earlier, systems like adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing and fluorescent markers provide objective, data-driven feedback on cleaning effectiveness.

Commercial Cleaning Services

Healthcare organizations tend to partner with specialized providers of healthcare facilities cleaning, even if there’s an in-house team that handles routine daily tasks. Commercial services can provide access to a highly trained workforce, advanced technology, expertise in complex regulatory standards, and additional labor for specific needs.

For example, after a patient with an infectious disease is discharged, a commercial service can perform a deep, comprehensive terminal clean using advanced techniques and equipment to ensure the room is completely decontaminated.

Commercial services are also trained and certified to handle the cleanup and disposal of biohazardous materials, a task that requires specific protocols and a high level of expertise. 

In Conclusion

As we’ve proven, cleaning protocols are central to patient safety, accreditation, and financial sustainability. Evidence shows that thorough, audited cleaning reduces infections, protects vulnerable patients, and safeguards hospitals from penalties and reputational damage. 

Author Bio: Veronica Turner is a health and lifestyle writer with over 10 years of experience. She creates compelling content on nutrition, fitness, mental health, and overall wellness.

 

References

Weber, David J. et al. Role of hospital surfaces in the transmission of emerging health care-associated pathogens: Norovirus, Clostridium difficile, and Acinetobacter species, American Journal of Infection Control, Volume 38, Issue 5, S25 – S33, https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(10)00408-6/fulltext 

Verhougstraete, M., Cooksey, E., Walker, J., Wilson, A. M., Lewis, M. S., Yoder, A., Elizondo-Craig, G., Almoslem, M., Forysiak, E., & Weir, M. H. (2024). Impact of terminal cleaning in rooms previously occupied by patients with healthcare-associated infections. PLoS ONE, 19(7), e0305083. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305083 

Carling, P. C., Parry, M. M., Rupp, M. E., Po, J. L., Dick, B., & Von Beheren, S. (2008). Improving cleaning of the environment surrounding patients in 36 acute care hospitals. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 29(11), 1035–1041. https://doi.org/10.1086/591940 

Anderson, D. J., Moehring, R. W., Weber, D. J., Lewis, S. S., Chen, L. F., Schwab, J. C., Becherer, P., Blocker, M., Triplett, P. F., Knelson, L. P., Lokhnygina, Y., Rutala, W. A., Sexton, D. J., & CDC Prevention Epicenters Program (2018). Effectiveness of targeted enhanced terminal room disinfection on hospital-wide acquisition and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile: a secondary analysis of a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial with crossover design (BETR Disinfection). The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 18(8), 845–853. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30278-0 

Izadi, N., Etemad, K., Mehrabi, Y., Eshrati, B., & Hashemi Nazari, S. S. (2021). The Standardization of Hospital-Acquired Infection Rates Using Prediction Models in Iran: Observational Study of National Nosocomial Infection Registry Data. JMIR public health and surveillance, 7(12), e33296. https://doi.org/10.2196/33296 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2025). Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program: Scoring Methodology. ttps://www.cms.gov/files/document/fy-2026-hac-reduction-program-methodology-infographic-updated-08/04/2025.pdf 

Haag, C., Archulet, K., RN, & Chau, A. (2024, November 7). Closing the gap: Maximizing the potential of UV-C technology to reduce Health Care-Associated infections. Infection Control Today. https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/closing-gap-maximizing-potential-uv-c-technology-reduce-health-care-associated-infections 

Environmental cleaning procedures. (2024, March 19). Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). https://www.cdc.gov/healthcare-associated-infections/hcp/cleaning-global/procedures.html 

Gastaldi, S. et al. (2025). Tools and strategies for monitoring hospital environmental hygiene services. Journal of Hospital Infection, Volume 159, 52 – 61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.01.011. 

Please also review AIHCP’s Certification programs and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

What is Concierge Medicine? Benefits & How It’s Different From Traditional Primary Care

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

Please also review AIHCP's Healthcare Case Management Training Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals

Written by Esme Wang.

Concierge medicine has become increasingly popular as patients seek more personalized, accessible, and comprehensive medical care. While traditional healthcare models often involve rushed visits and long wait times, concierge medicine offers an alternative that prioritizes stronger physician-patient relationships and preventive care. For those exploring concierge healthcare in Bellevue, it’s worth understanding how this approach differs from conventional primary care and why more individuals are choosing it.

Defining Concierge Medicine

Membership-based medicine, also known as concierge medicine, is a type of healthcare in which a patient and their physician make a monthly payment to receive access to greater healthcare benefits. Such membership is typically associated with longer appointment times, same-day scheduling, personalized communication with the doctor, and a greater emphasis on wellness and preventive care.

Contrary to traditional practices that were volume-based, concierge doctors tend to restrict their patient load, thus allowing them to serve a smaller group of patients more effectively. This reversal of the situation when the patients were packed together to smaller committed panels gives room to meaningful discussions, planning health in detail, and an actual collaboration in handling long-term wellness.

The Traditional Workings of Primary Care

The conventional primary care is mostly insurance-based. Physicians are paid on a visit or per-service basis, which encourages a high turnover of patients. Doctors are normally dealing with thousands of patients, and this means that they may not have a lot of time when each patient visits: sometimes it may be 1015 minutes per appointment visit.

This system may make patients feel rushed, unheard, or with unanswered questions. Although traditional primary care remains the primary provider of care to a large number of people, it tends to focus on curing diseases once they occur rather than promoting positive preventive and integrated health measures.

Personalized Attention and Longer Visits

The duration and quality of visits are two of the most notable differences between traditional care and concierge medicine. In a concierge environment, patients should have sufficient time to discuss their health issues, which is typically 30 minutes or longer. There is no rush among physicians to leave one patient and attend to another, which enhances communication and trust.

This period also provides doctors with an opportunity to investigate lifestyle habits, including diet, stress, and exercise, which patients often overlook during brief visits. Concierge physicians focus on the underlying causes of health problems, rather than the symptoms, and therefore, they are able to develop a multifaceted, customized plan that yields better outcomes over the long term.

Access and Availability

The second significant distinction between concierge-based medicine and standard primary care is the accessibility that patients have. By adopting concierge practices, patients can mostly choose whether to book an appointment on the same day or the next day, eliminating the frustrating waiting time that is typically characteristic of traditional systems. Instead of having to wait weeks to see an appointed physician, the concierge members have easy access to their doctor when they need him or her most. This access usually incorporates modern methods of communication, including calling someone, sending a text message, or emailing. As a result, it is easier to remain connected and cater to concerns as soon as possible.

Conversely, the traditional practices are volume-based. Patients often have to endure delays during their scheduling process, and even after obtaining an appointment, they spend most of their time with nurses, receptionists, or physician assistants rather than with the doctor. This passive communication may lead to misunderstandings and make patients feel disconnected from their medical caregiver.

There are significant advantages to overall health outcomes due to increased access to concierge care. The ability to reach a doctor in a short amount of time allows fixing minor issues before they turn into bigger ones, which minimizes the chances of an expensive or stressful trip to the emergency room. For chronic patients, easy and timely access to their doctor can facilitate close monitoring, better symptom control, and quicker adaptation to treatment modes.

Lifestyle benefits also arise from accessibility. This can save time and reduce stress for busy individuals who often juggle a demanding career or family responsibilities and need to schedule appointments quickly or easily communicate with a physician.

Rather than the client getting to restructure their whole schedule around having a few appointment slots, concierge patients have the comfort of knowing that their healthcare requirements will be fulfilled without wasting time unnecessarily. Seniors are also likely to be attracted to this model, as it will ensure them that they have easy access to their doctor whenever there is a need to seek medical advice on their current health issues or in case of any drastic variations in their health condition.

Preventive and Holistic Care Focus

A strong focus on prevention rather than reaction is one of the most recognizable elements of the concierge medicine model. Concierge physicians invest time in wellness screenings, regular check-ups, and extensive risk assessments instead of waiting until a condition becomes serious or compelling. These preventive measures help detect possible health issues before they develop into severe diseases, allowing patients to have more control over their health at a younger age. This is a direct contrast of traditional primary care, which, in most instances, is focused on managing the present symptoms or the pressing medical cases rather than on the preventive measures in the long term.

Concierge physicians can also investigate a patient’s condition more closely, as they are not subject to the time limitations inherent in conventional methods. They are able to examine the lifestyle variables like diet, activity, stress, and sleep quality, all of which are very important in general health. Through these elements, physicians can collaborate with patients to design individual wellness plans that are not only effective in treating medical conditions but also promote healthier lifestyle routines and achieve long-term results.

Another characteristic of concierge medicine is that it incorporates holistic practices alongside traditional medical care. Lifestyle coaching, nutritional education, mental health services, and stress management methods are among the elements that many concierge physicians incorporate into their care plans. This holistic nature is based on the fact that health is not merely the absence of illness, but the process of maintaining physical, emotional, and mental satisfaction. The model is helpful to patients because it regards them as complete persons and not isolated cases or groups of symptoms.

The preventive and holistic focus also increases the quality of life. Patients can also tell of the increased support and enlightenment due to their doctors providing them with education and follow-up instructions instead of prescriptions or referrals. In the case of chronic diseases, this model not only helps patients manage the symptoms they experience but also provides them with the mechanisms and measures that can help them become more resilient, reduce flare-ups, and stay steady. In healthy patients, it ensures they are on track with their wellness and avoid future health-related issues.

Cost Considerations

Concierge medicine involves patients paying a membership fee, either on a monthly or yearly basis. Some of them may make this a hindrance, but the price is usually compensated for with the advantages of easier access, a reduced number of emergency visits, and improved health outcomes that are managed. Many services can still be received through traditional insurance, but the membership model will also provide patients with extra value that standard coverage does not offer.

Who are the Big Winners of Concierge Medicine?

The model is attractive to a wide spectrum of patients, busy professionals/executives, and seniors with multiple chronic illnesses. The convenience of care, which is easily available, is also valuable to families. Finally, concierge medicine is highly adaptable for anyone who wants to be more active and participatory in their healthcare.

Conclusion

Concierge medicine represents a fresh approach to addressing the drawbacks of primary care. By making the visit longer, more face-to-face, more accessible, and more prevention-centered, the model will provide a care experience that places the patient’s needs at the center. For individuals interested in utilizing the concept of concierge healthcare in Bellevue, it offers not only convenient options. Nevertheless, even the peace of mind of knowing that your health is taken care of in the time, attention, and care that it actually deserves.

 

Author’s biography-

Esme Wang is a copywriter and content strategist. She helps businesses stop playing around with content marketing and start seeing the tangible ROI. She loves writing as much as she loves the cake.

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Certification programs and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

Substance Abuse: 12 Steps of AA

Posted on by Mark Moran

The 12 steps of AA recognizes substance abuse as more than a mental and physical issue but also a spiritual one.  This is what makes it so successful.  The program looks at one’s spiritual life and values and through peers, looks to find strength to face trauma, addiction and forge a strong future with healthy coping.

Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Practitioner Program and see if it meets your Academic and professional goals.  Qualified professionals in both clinical and non-clinical fields can earn AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Counseling Certification.

Behavioral and Mental Health Certifications: Signs of Trauma in the Population

Posted on by Mark Moran

Trauma is part of life.  Bad things occur and for some the bad things are more horrific and imprinting upon the person.  Estimates themselves reflect this.  It is calculated that 70 percent of all human beings will experience some type of trauma that is beyond the basic losses and pains of this temporal world.  In addition, 75 percent of children will experience some type of adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can negatively effect their emotional, mental, social and physical development.

While natural disaster trauma and collective social traumas leave deep marks on human beings, it is the violent and mystifying actions of evil at the hands of other human beings that leave the most devastating marks on the soul.  Wars, genocides, human trafficking, sexual abuse, rape, shootings as well as being witness to horrific murders and abusive events can all leave a horrible imprint on a person, whether child or adult.  While the event itself plays a key role, amazingly some individuals can process trauma and not linger with the effects of prolonged pain or PTSD.  This does not make those succumb to trauma weak, or cowardly, but illustrates the reality that trauma is not just about the horrific event but also the subjective experience and the lingering effects following it.  One’s genetic makeup, the social constructs and support around them, individual character and resiliency, as well as genetic and mental makeup due to past history can all play roles in how one may digest and cope trauma as opposed to another.

Victims need their trauma identified so they can heal. Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma informed care program and other behavioral health certifications

In states of crisis, a person suffers from disequilibrium and de-stabilization of self.  The brain loses ability to handle the current situation because it overwhelms one’s coping mechanism.  This leads to emotional distress and inability to cope.  One is unable to think or act clearly.  Those who experience severe trauma in the acute moment of it usually experience this overwhelming leaving them in the aftermath confused, lost and emotional unstable.  The purpose of crisis intervention and emotional triage via emotional and psychological first aid are essential in these moments to help the person find equilibrium as well as stabilization but the efforts of long term trauma care and counseling falls under trauma informed care.

Within the population there is a high level of individuals suffering from long term trauma and PTSD.  It is important for mental health and healthcare professionals to understand the signs of trauma and be better equipped to help those experiencing it in the present as well as those suffering from the past lingering effects.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care, as well as Crisis Intervention and other behavioral and mental health certifications.  Qualified professionals can utilize these certifications within the scope of their practice to better help those in pastoral or clinical settings of needed care.

Trauma Signs

Flight, Flee, Freeze or Fawn

The most common reactions to trauma include fight, flight, freeze or fawn (Compton, 2024 p. 105-107).  The latter two have been added over the years and are equally important.  In understanding human survival, these mechanisms are key in helping an individual make it through a life threatening situation.  How a a person responds or does not respond does not equate to inadequacy or cowardice or acceptance of an event, but relates to numerous subconscious immediate decisions in a given situation based on subjective experiences within the person’s life.  These particular reactions also play key roles in later trauma recovery because individuals may question, feel guilty or be ashamed of particular reactions.

When the body experiences a threat, the brain and body activate the sympathetic nervous system.  This system releases cortisol into the blood stream and other hormones to help prepare the body for danger.  The heart rate rises, blood flow increases and muscles tighten to help the body fend off the threat.  In this moment of extreme stress, the brain mixed with multiple emotional responses decides to fight off the situation, flee the situation, or in some cases, shuts down the body to freeze.  This is seen in nature as well.  Animals will fight back, flee or sometimes freeze in utter fear in hopes of being left alone.  In human beings, many of the same thoughts race through the mind.  With emotion, comes intellectual thoughts based on our subjective history and experience.  Can I fight this threat, if not, can I flee or avoid it, or should I freeze and hope.  Many times in horror movies, we see the later.  We scream at the television for the actor or actress to run or move, but the person is so terrified, he or she shows no resistance to the killer, slasher or monster.  This response of freeze is referred to tonic immobility and it tied to the body’s psychological attempt to detach from reality and the danger since it has accepted fight of flight as an impossible option (Compton, 2024, p. 106).  Hence some women who are raped, may completely freeze and the body shuts down while the brain experiences the fear and trauma.  During this shutdown, some psychologists use other terms to explain this sensation of immobility.  During the intense moments of fright of the trauma, the body may flag itself into immobility.  During this intense freeze or flagging, ironically the sympathetic nervous system and its reaction releases itself to the parasympathetic system which returns blood back to the core of the body, eases muscle tension, and the body becomes almost frozen.  Frozen in fright, the mental brain looks to shut down or dissociate from the trauma. In these cases, many victims may not even feel physical pain, see as clearly, or hear but they remain frozen and in some cases, even dissociate to the point of almost feeling as if out of the body and looking downward.  In addition, since the trauma is so intense, the body’s coping mechanism looks to detach and many details of the assault or trauma or not properly logged.  Instead, the emotional part of the brain takes over.  This is also why sometimes details of survivors in regards to trauma may be not be as precise as law enforcement sometimes may wish.  Finally, beyond this freezing, fright and flagging, occurs the final defense mechanism of the body which involves faint.  In this, the body shuts down consciousness to the horrible ideal.

Fight, flight, freeze or fawn responses to survival situations.

In regards to fawn, victims in an attempt to survive will work with the assailant and not resist but attempt to be be accepting of the situation.  Children, and again women in assault cases, many times to survive will use this last option as a way in hopes of reducing the pain inflicted.  Without escape or any hope, they succumb to the wishes of the assailant whether it involves laughing with them, or taking drugs with them, or pretending to enjoy, or partake to avoid physical injury.  According to Compton, this response is completely unique to humans as a way to escape a situation in hopes of making it less worst and later survive (2024, p. 107).  Some victims may consider the price of cooperating better than the price of being beaten and killed if they attempt to resist.  Sometimes, pending on the psychopath or assailant, this may work in reducing injuries, while in some cases, the perpetrator injures or kills regardless.  However, within the subjective mind of the victim, the call to fawn or not fawn is gamble that is made in the heat of the moment.

What later plays a role in prolonged and unresolved trauma for survivors are the cognitive distortions that can result from whichever action one chose.  Those who did not fight back or flee, but froze may be hard on themselves and feel they could have saved themselves if they had just acted.  A woman who did not flee a rapist, or a soldier who froze in an attack may all suffer deep remorse or regret for their actions.  Yet, their responses were not so much conscious but related to inner wiring of how they would respond in this particular situation.  The trauma was so powerful, they were forced to detach from the utter horrific nature of the event.  Equally if not more harmful cognitive distortions can emerge with those who utilize fawning as a way to survive.   They display shame and guilt and even to some extent may think they partook in it voluntarily.  A woman may feel shame in laughing or accepting drugs during a rape and even doubt her victimhood but the reality is the woman entered into a survival mechanism to limit harm to self (Compton, 2024, p. 107).  Counselors need to affirm the fears these individuals feel, listen with empathy and without judgement the reactions in the moment and help cognitively realign the experience with reality of “having to do what you had to do to survive”.  The survivor needs vindicated in the choices made to keep him/her alive in a horrific moment no person should have to endure.

Intrusions

PTSD causes many forms of intrusions on victims/survivors. Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program

In addition to trauma responses and their linger effects, individuals, especially those with PTSD, suffer from intrusions.   Intrusions, flashbacks, or nightmares can be triggered by simple scents, sights, sounds, or places.  Due to the fact the horrific trauma imprinted upon the emotional part of the brain within the amygdala, the emotions and sounds of the moments became associated with the event.  Hence even a simple backfire of a car can send an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran into a flashback on a city street.  Due to the trauma, many of the normal reasoning functions of the pre-frontal cortex associated with the memory were never properly filed within the brain and processed as a healthy moment in time.  Instead, the memory is raw and unprocessed as closely tied to the emotional responses of the day of trauma.  In turn, a sight, scent, taste, or sound closely associated with that traumatic event can trigger a response that intrudes into the mind and takes the person away from the present.  Severity of these responses vary in flashbacks but some can completely cause dissociation from the present.  The person will enter into a flashback where they are no longer present.  Some individuals may lose hours of the day or merely minutes pending on severity.  Others will be haunted by unresolved nightmares that place the survivor back in the traumatic situation.  Counselors who work with trauma survivors or individuals they suspect of past trauma will be able to identify these key signs of abuse or unresolved issues.

Hyperarousal or hypervigilance

One key sign of trauma is hyperarousal or hypervigilance.  Many who suffer from trauma have a heightened sense of awareness of certain places or people.  This heightened awareness activates a survivor’s sympathetic nervous system and leaves them in a state of watching or preparing for the worst.  A retired soldier may watch various entrances of all escape routes or doorways even when at a simple dinner with his wife and children.   A rape victim may be terrified to walk by an alley.  School shooting survivors may during class time also experience issues returning to school or walking into the building.   Due to the hypervigilance and the imprinted trauma, ones arousal level is so high that the thinking part of the brain cannot differentiate between the traumatic historic event and current situations that pose no threat.  In addition, many completely seek shelter and protection from the public eye and seek isolation to cope with their states of hyperarousal.  The person hence becomes disconnected from the present, hyper-focuses on non-existent threats, and is in a state of fear or anxiety within normal situations (Compton, 2024, p.108-109).  Counselors will need to employ various emotional regulation strategies, ground techniques, exposure and EDMR therapies, or cognitive behavioral to help the person gain control of these rampant emotional memories and flashbacks.

Changed World Views and Attitudes of Survivors 

Hyperarousal and lack of emotional regulation are signs of past trauma. Please also review AIHCP’s behavioral health certifications

Due to this new altered sense, even when not hyper aroused, the past trauma can reshape and damage previous held world views (Compton, 2024. p, 2009).   Traumatic events can alter the view that the world is a safe place.  Unlike many individuals in rural areas, those who frequently experience inner city violence will definitely frame a different world view from childhood onward, especially children who were never able to experience safety and security.   For those who lived the American dream, those who suddenly become victim or witness to school shooting, or experience a violent crime suddenly may come to new realities that may make them challenge their worldview, faith, God, and moral framework how the world operates.  Some may become cynical, others hopeless, some angry and vindictive, others may look to over-protect others because they see danger everywhere.

World views and previous held ideas lead to different reactions to situations and life itself.  Some of the key points according to Compton include a lack of safety and a sense of vulnerability that did not previously exist.  In addition, Compton lists a lack of trust.  This lack of trust may be towards the power of God, or the power of local government to protect oneself. Many may feel forsaken and left to fend for oneself in this state of despair.  Also, Compton lists esteem and defectiveness that follows trauma.  Trauma survivors can exhibit negative views about themselves and doubt their worthiness to be loved after the event, or are not deserving of a good and productive post trauma life.  Others may also alter views on others and stereotype races, religions, cultures and others that are associated with the trauma itself.  Through this, the person is filled with anger, suspicion and bitterness towards other people who may share the same skin color or faith of the perpetrator.   Compton points out that other survivors may exhibit unnecessary power and control over others or situations in an attempt to prevent the trauma from occurring again.    This type of survivor may be a person who lives in constant hyperarousal and promises that what occurred will never happen again to the point of compulsion driven by anxiety.  This leads to controlling even smaller aspects of life and relationships.  Some may even feel erroneously partial responsible for the trauma and will look at any cost to control all aspects to avoid the same outcome.  Finally, Compton lists that intimacy and how future trauma survivors respond to others and relationships can be altered.  Children who experience trauma at a young age will have different attachment disorders based on trauma ranging from anxious relationship, to avoidant ones, while adults who are reshaped by trauma may experience difficulties with intimacy.  A wife who was raped may be unable to have intercourse with her husband because of the violation of the sexual act in her rape.  The movements or act may activate a flashback or cause intense emotional pain.  Some who are not in a relationship may seek isolation and avoid attachment and at the expense of genuine human connection, forfeit future relationships due to the traumatic event (2024. p. 109-113).

Long Term Mental and Physical Signs

Trauma damages the entirety of the human person.  Untreated trauma looks to numb and escape the pains through various maladaptive ways.  Whether it is isolation, avoidance, or control measures, the person still exhibits the pains of trauma.  Because of this, many associated with trauma become alcoholics or drug addicts hopes of numbing the pain and escaping the memories.  These short term tricks however only further damage the mind and body with addiction and all the legal, financial, social, mental and physical troubles associated with it.  In addition, many mentally may attempt to numb psychic pain with physical pain and self harm themselves or even idealize suicide to escape the pain.  Others may utilize sex or gambling or other unhealthy way habits. Hence, those who are associated with long term and unresolved trauma are tied to depression, anxiety, physical injuries, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases (Compton, 2024, p. 116).

Long term trauma can negative effects socially, mentally, emotionally, and physically on a person.

Physically, those who deal with long term trauma even if they avoid maladaptive practices find themselves in a constant state of hyperarousal and the activation of the sympathetic nervous system.  Like chronic stress, the continual state of alert has negative effects on the body, especially the cardiovascular system.  Due to the constant stress, trauma survivors or life long victims of trauma find themselves with many  digestive diseases, migraines and sleep issues.  This leads to immune issues related to chronic inflammation throughout the body (Compton, 2024. p. 116-117).  These physical issues to lead to social issues with work, education and advancement, leaving many life long trauma survivors in perilous situations beyond their trauma itself.  This all has reflections on every aspect of their life and choices which can also affect other individuals negatively.  When those suffer from a singular and isolated trauma, as opposed to a communal trauma, many times the individual never finds affirmation, connection, or support.  These individuals, without healing, slowly rot from the vine and deteriorate.  Many fall under the rug and find themselves homeless, or imprisoned for petty crimes.  Others develop more severe mental illness and can lash out at others within the community.

Hence, it is a communal issue to identify trauma signs and help individuals find the help and aid they need to heal.  Counselors can look for these long term mental, physical, emotional and social signs of long term trauma to better help individuals find healing via trauma informed care.

Conclusion

When signs of trauma and abuse or missed initially, or permitted to fester, the wholeness and dignity of the person erodes.  Whether it is a life long series of traumas or adverse childhood experiences, or one horrible life altering event, trauma victims/survivors need help to heal.  While some individuals are resilient due to numerous and multiple subjective factors, others through no fault, fall victim to PTSD or trauma induced wounds.  These individuals if not helped are unable to cope in productive ways and can harm themselves, others, relationships or ruin their own careers.  This overflows into society and without a empathetic and compassionate approach to help these individuals, then society as a whole suffers.  Trauma Informed Care looks to identify many of the signs listed above and better help and equip individuals to find healing and healthy coping mechanisms to heal and overcome trauma.  Trauma may leave a scar but it does not need to be a destructive event in the person’s life that destroys everything the person is.  Instead, human beings can heal, create new neuropathways, find meaning in horror and create positive outcomes out of the darkness.

Please also review AIHCP’s Mental and Behavioral Health Certifications

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program, as well as its many behavioral and mental health certifications for human service workers, both clinical and pastoral, as well as healthcare professionals who seek to help and make a difference for those who have experienced trauma.

Additional Blogs

Sexual Assault.  Click here

Domestic Violence.  Click here

Crisis Intervention in Acute Mental Crisis. Click here

Crisis Intervention Assessment.  Click here

Trauma During Counseling.  Click here

Resource

Compton, L & Patterson, T. (2024) . “Skills for Safeguarding: A Guide for Preventing Abuse and Fostering Healing in the Church”. Academic

Additional Resources

“Trauma and Violence”. SAMHSA.  Access here

“Identifying Trauma” Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma.  Access here

Aten, J. (2020). “How to Identify and Find Help for Trauma”. Psychology Today.  Access here

“Recognizing the Effects of Abuse-Related Trauma”. CAMH.  Access here

 

 

The Link Between Quick Medical Attention and Stronger Recovery

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

stethoskop on paperWritten by Arthur Brown.

If you think that slip and fall accidents are a rare occurrence, think twice. In fact, they are pretty common; it’s just that people and the media, in general, do not talk about them a lot. But the reality is, they can happen to anyone at any time.

You can walk on a wet surface without even noticing or falling, or on an icy sidewalk, etc. In some cases, these accidents can be relatively minor, resulting in bruising only. However, at times, they can be so severe that a person can experience a concussion, broken bones, or end up in a life-threatening situation.

The point is that whatever the situation may be with you, you should never take these things lightly, and even if you feel okay, you should still seek medical help immediately because that’s something that will not only affect your recovery, but life in general.

As stated previously, since this topic isn’t discussed enough, today this informative guide is going to further delve into it, to accentuate the link between fast medical care and speedy recovery.

Common Causes of Accidents

Before we cut to the chase, let’s first talk about the most common causes of these types of accidents. There are lots of factors that may lead to this; however, according to the statistics, the most common causes of slip and fall accidents include wet floors, uneven sidewalks, poor lighting, cracks, loose floorboards, and others. There are a number of places where these incidents can occur, but the most common include:

  • Restaurants
  • Stores
  • Shopping centers
  • Swimming pools
  • Nursing homes
  • Apartment buildings

Slips and falls are no joke, and aren’t only painful, but expensive, as well, meaning that you should expect your medical bills to be pretty high! If your injuries are a direct result of someone’s negligence, then be sure to contact a personal injury lawyer who’s going to prove that, and, at the same time, help you get the compensation you deserve.

These people know how stressful all of this can be, and they’ll do whatever is in their power to properly present your case in court and fight for your rights!

The Importance Of Quick Medical Assistance

As concluded previously, slip and fall accidents can be relatively benign and visible, yet there are those that seemingly look harmless but are, in fact, far more dangerous. This refers to:

  • Fractures (wrist, hip, and shoulder)
  • Back and spinal injuries
  • Head injuries (concussion, or serious trauma to the brain)
  • Soft tissue damage (bruises, muscle injuries)

Some of these injuries will instantly cause swelling and pain; however, some, like a concussion, may showcase symptoms after a few hours or even days. If you do not want to risk anything when it comes to this, then you cannot delay your visit to the doctor because only they are capable of treating these injuries properly.

Early Medical Assessment Is Mandatory In These Situations

An early medical assessment is pivotal after a slip and fall accident, not only because it’s going to help you mitigate the pain that you are enduring, but also to establish the connection between the injuries you sustained and the incident. With it, you will:

  • Get the precise diagnosis – As concluded above, certain injuries may be noticeable after a while, and if you do not get professional help, they may go unnoticed. On the flip side, early diagnosis enables you to keep things under control and prevent further complications.
  • Medical records – If by any chance you decide to file a claim against a liable party, then precisely these records will further strengthen your lawsuit. They perfectly show the severity of your injuries, the necessary medications, procedures, and treatments, and the projected recovery timeline.
  • It will help your attorney, too! – The more information (regarding your injuries) you collect, the stronger your case will be, increasing the odds of a favorable outcome that’s going to help you cover your medical bills and receive compensation for lost wages.

Delayed Medical Care Can Only Make Things Worse!

You may think that time doesn’t play a key role in these circumstances and that if you delay medical care, it’s not going to matter as much, but bear in mind that this type of reckless behavior will ultimately backfire on you.

  • Fractures may become worse over time if they aren’t treated on time, and then medications won’t get the job done, but you’ll probably need surgery.
  • Ligament and/or tendon injuries, if left untreated, may cause permanent instability
  • Back issues that were relatively benign may turn into a chronic problem

Early intervention isn’t only beneficial for your overall health, but for your financial health, as well! The more you postpone these things, the higher your medical expenses are going to be, because you’ll be needing treatments that are far more complex and pricey.

Symptoms To Watch Out For

As stated several times above, specific symptoms won’t appear right after the accident, but after a while, and if you haven’t already seen a healthcare provider, then it’s essential to carefully monitor your condition and pay attention to the symptoms that might be more dangerous than you may think at first glance:

  • Headache – If it comes and goes, then it’s probably nothing. In contrast, if it persists, then it may indicate a concussion or something more serious.
  • Abdominal pain – This may indicate that you have internal bleeding, which needs urgent medical assistance!
  • Numbness or tingling – They may be a sign of spinal cord injury or nerve damage
  • Mood swings – Slip and fall accidents do not impact a person only physically, but also mentally. Many people become depressed, have frequent mood swings, anxiety, and many other mental health issues. That’s also something you need to work on if you notice that it’s affecting your everyday life.

Depending on the severity of your injuries, your recovery can be relatively fast or slow, but what’s most important is to address them as soon as possible, because every other option can only slow down the healing process.

 

About the Author:

Arthur Brown – A dad of 3 kids and is a keen writer covering a range of topics such as Internet marketing, SEO, and more! When not writing, he’s found behind a drum kit.

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Certification programs and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

Trauma Informed Care and Re-Victimization

Posted on by Mark Moran

Abusive predators seek the most vulnerable as their prey and strike when the opportunity best presents itself.  Many targets are those who have already been targeted in the past.  The scars and emotional trauma associated with initial abuse signal opportunity for the predator to strike a new victim who has already once been injured.  Counselors in trauma need to be aware of the potential for someone who has been abused to be abused again.  This is why the work of healing is so critical.  Healing helps the person find wholeness again and find strength in everyday life to proceed in a healthy way that can better equip the victim/survivor to protect oneself from future abuse at anyone’s hands.  In this short blog, we will look at the most vulnerable for re-victimization as well as the open wounds of unhealed trauma that present opportunities for predators and abuses to inflict more trauma on past victims.

Trauma informed care can help prevent re-victimization of abuse survivors

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program, as well as its Crisis Intervention Certification and other Behavioral Health Certifications for qualified professionals seeking certification.

At Risk Populations

Naturally the marginalized, isolated, and injured populations present opportunistic targets for predators.  As a predator in nature monitors the the herd of prey, it looks for members who seem and appear physically weaker or isolated or confused or who are already injured.  Likewise, human predators and abusers look for those in society that are an easier target with less chance of fighting back physically or emotionally and as well those who mentally possess low self esteem and emotional disorders.  This protects them and lowers the chance for reprisal or being apprehended.  This is the nature of an abuser-cowardice and opportunistic.

Some populations that are natural targets for any type of abuse include children, the elderly, emotionally and mentally comprised and those with disabilities (Compton, 2024, p.124).  Hence individuals within these categories present excellent targets by the abuser not only for initial abuse but also fall into re-victimization themselves.  Counselors and safe-guarders need to be aware of these target populations and look to protect them from potential dangerous environments, especially ones with previous abuse history.

What Makes the Risk Higher for Re-victimization?

Ultimately lack of healing from the initial abuse makes someone a higher risk for re-victimization at the hands of abuser or predator.  The lack of healing injures the very soul of the person and prevents them from integrating into society.  Many enter into maladaptive coping strategies to numb the pain of the trauma or enter into unhealthy relationships due to low self esteem and again find themselves in the same patterns.

Compton points out that attachment deficits, emotion regulation disruptions and cognitive distortions play key roles in making victims susceptible to future abuse.  Compton points out that children and others who have continually experienced abuse have been stripped healthy of attachments that non-abused individuals experience with family and caregivers.  Instead of a loving and caring family that promises safety and security, abused individuals live in a world of uncertainty, terror and no safety.  This drastically alters their ability to understand normal relations, much less form future healthy attachments with other people.  Instead of finding secure bonds, many abused that never find healing, find themselves in the same situation with a different person.  The individual ultimately expects abuse as a norm (2024, p. 125-126).   Hence when approached or targeted, many abused are familiar with it.  While they may seek to escape it or fear it, they do not respond as an un-abused person.  Instead many either isolate, feel the re-traumatization, and become unwilling victims not understanding why or how to escape.

Helping stop re-victimization of at risk populations is a key component of trauma informed care. Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications

Compton also refers to emotional regulation disruptions.  Like anyone with PTSD or trauma, unresolved trauma resides in the subconscious.  It remains trapped in the emotional part of the brain, not properly filed within the intellectual part.  The trauma is dis-fragmented and the horrible nature of the trauma continues to haunt a person.  Hence when a person experiences a similar sound, or scent, or visual of the past trauma, the body responds emotionally without rationale into a fight, flight or freeze mode.  This is a common state of hyperarousal that many with PTSD or trauma experience.  The long term defensive mechanisms for this unhealed trauma results in isolation from other people, as well as numbing through alcohol or other drugs, as well as lashing out at others, Abusers target those who are isolated, friendless, or who are intoxicated or in need of drugs to numb their pain (2024, p. 127-128).   in the mind of an abuser, an isolated individual has no-one for support and a drug user is far from reliable as a witness.

Finally, cognitive distortions can persist in the unhealed victim.  Without counseling and cognitive therapies to correct incorrect perceptions of self, the abused develops an poor image of self and the value of one’s body.   The very design of sexuality and its purpose can also be distorted. Victims reflect low self esteem, misuse of sex as a way to find instant gratification, or allow one’s body to be used by others.  This can result in how a victim interacts with others, dresses, or expects to be touched or touches others (Compton, 2024, p. 128-129).   These cognitive distortions, views of one’s body, or the misinformed nature of sex, open many unhealed victims to new abusers who can use these distortions to their advantage in luring the victim back into abuse.

Why Not Find Help?

It is easy as non-traumatized individuals to ask this question but if someone is injured through abuse or trauma, the whole self is injured.  Until the whole self again finds healing, purpose and meaning and the issues of emotional, cognitive and bonds are corrected, then many never seek help or even report the initial abuse.  In addition, those who seek help may feel intimidated, labeled, judged, or felt no-one will believe them.

Some may feel embarrassed over the abuse.  During fight, flight or freeze, survivors make a choice in how to respond to the violence.  Some individuals may fight, others may try to escape, or others my freeze in utter fear.  We see this constantly in horror movies.  As we shout at the television screen, for the person to fight back or run, we see some literally freeze.  Maybe subconsciously an individual feels if they have a better chance of not fighting back and allowing the abuse to occur in hopes of survival as opposed to being kills in an attempted act of self defense.  It is very hard to understand why some individuals fight, flight or freeze, but after traumatic events, the brain thinks back.  There is survival guilt for some in war or shootings where the individual re-analyzes their reactions.  This can lead to shame, or guilt or regret.  Some in abuse, may feel they should have screamed, or fought back, while others lament the fact, that despite the abuse, in some cases, of sex, part of the physical engagement was pleasurable.  This is especially true in the case of men who find themselves raped by women abusers.  Others who are raped or molested may feel like a “whore” or if a man is assaulted by a man, feel as if their sexuality is now questioned and feel ashamed about being labeled a sexuality that they are not (Compton, 2024, p. 130-131).

Others may feel no-one will believe them and in some cases, authorities do not always believe.  Parents may doubt a story of their child about a pastor or coach, or a church member may dismiss a report about a priest, or a police detective may question the details of an abuse story, but when help is not given, re-victimization can occur.  One thing to remember, victims of severe trauma have fragmented memories.  The brain is protecting the person from the trauma by fogging many of the details.  Since the trauma is not properly filed and stored in the intellectual pre-frontal cortex of the brain, the emotional centers of the brain collect the trauma and revisit it through affective disturbances that involve similar sounds, sights, or scents.  A similar cologne of an abuser can send a victim into a flash back of the horrible abuse, or a the backfire of a car can send a military veteran back to a war scene.   Hence triggers play a key role, as well as intrusive memories, in taking the victim back to the initial trauma, while in regular conscious states, the victim may not recount completely every detail regarding the abuse.  The details haunt, but the general story remains the same.  This type of lack of detail can sometimes make others doubt a survivor/victim, but a trained professional should see the overwhelming evidence of trauma induced PTSD that reflects far greater evidence of abuse than mere details (Compton, 2024, p. 131-132)

When reporting never occurs, or when authorities do not believe victims, re-victimization usually occurs later in life.  It is hence important to  prevent future re-victimization to believe the abused.   Counselors, pastors, and even friends need to believe and encourage disclosure and when legally required report the incidents to protect the victim.  As a safeguarder and protector, one has the unique opportunity to help reconnect to a injured person and help them again find wholeness, meaning and justice (Compton, 2024, p. 133).

Conclusion

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program as well as its Behavioral Health Certifications

It is truly sad that anyone is a victim of any type of abuse in this world.  It is especially horrific that individuals who find no healing continue to find themselves in a cycle of abuse at the hands of predators and abusers.  It is important for behavioral healthcare and health providers, as well as pastoral caregivers, families and friends to recognize the signs the abuse, as well as to understand those who are potential victims for possible future abuse.  This involves utilization of trauma informed care practices that encourage disclosure through safe environments, as well as transparency, empathy, trust, and the utilization of therapeutic skills to help the person again find healing and meaning.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care Program as well as its many Behavioral Health Certifications

Additional Blogs

Authority and Abuse- Click here

Sexual Assault and Abuse- Click here

Resource

Compton, L & Patterson, T (2024). “Skills for Safeguarding: A Guide to Preventing Abuse and Fostering Healing in the Church”.  Academic

Additional Resources

Marie, S. (2024). “Abuse Survivors Can Be Revictimized — Here’s What You Should Know”. Healthline.  Access here

Gillette, H. (2022). “Can Family Members Revictimize Sexual Abuse Survivors?”. PsychCentral.  Access here

Patrick, W. (2022), “Why Some Sexual Assault Victims Are Revictimized”.  Psychology Today.  Access here

Pittenger, S. et al. (2019). “Predicting Sexual Revictimization in Childhood and Adolescence: A Longitudinal Examination Using Ecological Systems Theory”.

Child Maltreat . Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 May 1.  PubMed.  Access here

 

 

 

 

 

Trauma Informed Care: When Trauma Emerges During Counseling

Posted on by Mark Moran

Trauma Informed Care highlights the reality of trauma as a universal human experience.  Whether deeply effected to the point of PTSD, long term effects or no effects at all, traumatic events do occur and leave an imprint on some individuals.   Ultimately, the these events occur but it is our experience and how it effects ourselves that determine impairment later in life.  Unfortunately, most traumatic cases, especially in abuse, never go reported and individuals live with unresolved trauma that manifests in many maladaptive ways later in life.   TIC looks to uproot trauma when identifying various symptoms that point towards it possible existence.  Hence, if one is counseling from a TIC perspective, then it is only natural that eventually trauma will re-emerge in a victim/survivor/client.

When someone discloses abuse or trauma, the counselor needs to understand how to listen, and help the victim/survivor heal. Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications

Obviously basic counseling and advanced counseling skills and techniques all play a key role in helping the individual discuss these difficult events in his/her life, but there are also particular skills key to addressing trauma that are essential.  While TIC looks to search for trauma, trauma specific interventions are essential to help the person express and heal from the trauma.  In addition, how the trauma is discussed and handled within the counseling room is equally key.  In this blog, we will look at trauma, its sources, counselor reaction to the client, discussing trauma itself, and ways to better facilitate the discussions of trauma itself.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care programs, as well as all of AIHCP’s Behavioral and Mental Health Programs in Grief Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Stress Management, Anger Management and Spiritual Counseling programs.

Trauma Lurks Below

We are well aware that the traumatic events are universal and 70 percent of the population will experience some type of trauma.  Of course how the trauma affects the person has numerous subjective factors based upon the person and many surrounding aspects.  Ellis points out that individuals in childhood have different levels of exposure to trauma based on their Adverse Childhood Experiences (2022).  ACE refers to these adverse childhood experiences and categorizes them as actual events but also deeper seeded social issues that act as roots to the trauma tree and its many branches and fruits.  Adverse Community Environments or roots of the problem include multiple negative social issues such as poverty, discrimination, community disruption, lack of economic mobility and opportunity, poor housing and frequent exposure to social violence.  These horrible things manifest into various possible traumatic experiences for individuals that will shape them for the rest of their lives.  This includes issues that the child might experience at a young age such as maternal depression, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, incarceration of self or family members, divorces, physical and emotional neglect and exposure to mental illness (Ellis, 2022).

In turn, later in adolescence and life, fruits of these abuses and traumas will emerge.  Behaviors that include drug use, alcoholism, smoking, lack of physical activity and lack of work ethic.  In addition, these fruits can manifest in severe obesity, diabetes, depression, suicide attempts, STDs, heart disease, cancer, stroke and various injuries.   TIC looks to identify these warning signs and fruits of ACE and acknowledges that not every one’s life was calm, peaceful and loving.  This is not to say even the most loving home can face loss and trauma or violent crime, but it does awaken us as a while that people are just much nurture as they are nature in what they become and how their behaviors exhibit themselves.  This is why as counselors, we must show empathy even to undesired behaviors.  We are not dismissing choice, or condoning bad behaviors or life styles or even later criminal actions, but we are putting a spot light on a great systematic breakdown in society as a whole and how trauma can alter and turn so many people into persons they would never have been.  The role of a counselor when facing emerging trauma in counseling is to help the person find peace with the past, cope in the present and find hope in the future.

Shattered but Not Broken

I believe that despite horrible trauma, one can be shattered, but it does not mean one has to be permanently broken.  One will always have the scars from that trauma, one will have a far different life due to it as well, but that does not mean it breaks the person.  While some may become overwhelmed and lose themselves or become the evil itself that destroyed them, it does not have to be that way.

Individuals who suffer trauma and abuse may be shattered but through a caring counselor and support can find healing and a new self actualization

Trauma can be like the story of the comic hero Batman, who as a child witnessed the murder of his parents, only to turn that trauma and pain into a life long crusade against crime.  While a fictional character, I think still, if we look at the story of young Bruce Wayne and his traumatic experience, we can take a lesson from it and see how when trauma is properly processed, while life altering, it can bring out resiliency and growth, and an ability to find meaning.

Outside TIC mindsets, most trauma survivors who are shattered are afraid to bring up the past in counseling and rarely spontaneously disclose their trauma. (Sweeney. A, 2018).  It is hence important to understand how to help heal the broken through discussion of trauma and how to facilitate healing.  Cochran points out that all human beings are in a state of “becoming”  We are constantly changing whether into a traumatic event or out of it, we are never the same but learning how to adjust.  Who we are today are not who we were in the past but we are constantly in flux in our experiences and how we interpret them (2021, p. 8).   All individuals look however to meet a certain self actualization of self.  These self actualizations when molded in a healthy and loving trauma free environment possess healthy concepts of self image and self worth.  Trauma and abuse can destroy these images (Cochran, 2021, p. 9-15).   Cochran uses the oak tree as an example of self actualization.  While the mighty oak is the final concept of what we see as the fullest potential of an acorn, or small sapling, sometimes, those who are victims of abuse or trauma are unable to fulfill their initial abilities or design.  Like a young tree that was struck by lightening or partially uprooted, the ideal self actualization has been altered.   Unlike a tree though, human beings have far better abilities to recreate image and self actualization.  Although shattered, altered and changed, human beings through guidance and support can still grow and meet new goals and fulfill new self actualizations, albeit shatter, but not broken (Cochran, 2021, p. 11-12).

Hence, Cochran points out that as a person develops, like a tree, one can develop and grow without interruption, while others trees may experience difficult times of drought, poor soil, damage, or broken limbs.  Each life experience is different and through trauma, individuals develop different self concepts of what is regular or normal as well as what to expect of oneself.  Trauma hence can be very damaging.  It is important in TIC to find this trauma and to help the shattered find wholeness again and a new way to exist with the past.   When trauma is discovered in counseling or finally disclosed, it is hence important to know how to cultivate the discussion and navigate the difficult discussions.

The Calm in the Storm:  Counselor Qualities in Trauma Informed Care

Counselors in general need to display certain qualities with their clients but this is especially true in the case of trauma victims or trauma survivors. Karl Rogers approached all counseling in a very client based approach that emphasized complete emotional support via empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard.  These three qualities not only create a safe environment for disclosure but also helped create a sense of trust between counselor and victim that facilitated healing.  Robin Gobbel, LMSW, emphasizes the importance of safety and the necessity of “felt safety” within between the counselor and the victim or survivor or client.  Many individuals who are victims of trauma feel chronic “danger, danger” feelings.  Due to PTSD, certain triggers can alert the brain to the dangers that are not truly present.  The lack of the prefrontal cortex to dismiss the false alarm is not present in trauma survivors.  Hence the scent of a cologne similar to a molester, or a car backfiring in a public street can send a trauma survivor into a flight, fright or freeze sense.  Helping a person feel safe internally is hence key.  In addition to internal issues, “felt safety” also applies to the counseling room itself.  In previous blogs, we discussed the importance of agencies creating a environment that promotes a safe feeling for the individual to disclose and discuss the abuse or trauma.  They must feel private, secure and free of threat, free of retribution, or even judgement.   Physical environment can be helpful in this, but it also must be accompanied with the counselor’s ability to implement basic counseling skills, via word use, tone, body language and facial expressions.

A counselor can supply empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard for the victim.

This is all best implemented through empathetic listening, genuine interest and unconditional positive regard.   Empathetic listening is not judgmental but it allows oneself to not feel what one thinks another should feel, but attempts to understand and share what one is feeling and why.  Cochran describes empathy as feeling with the client (2021, p. 79).  Empathy can be emitted by sharing the same emotions and words that describe those emotions with the client.  Empathy does not require one agreeing with the client, their beliefs, choices or actions, but it does involve walking with the client and attempting to understand all the things that make him/her feel the way he/she does.

In addition to empathy, Karl Rogers emphasized the importance of being genuine.  Rogers pointed out that the therapist is being him/herself without professional facade of being all knowing or merely a person with letters behind his/her name.  Rogers continued that the counselor needs to be genuine in the feelings of the moment and aware of those moments where feelings are expressed.  Ultimately, the therapist becomes transparent and down to earth with the client without any ulterior motives but the healing of the client.  This helps the client see that the therapist is truly there to help and more willing to open and disclose issues (Cochran, 2021, p. 132).  Ultimately, Cochran points out that all counselors if they seek to be genuine need to know oneself and express oneself.

Tying together empathy and genuineness is the key Rogerian concept of Unconditional Positive Regard for a client.  This concept is a cornerstone for counseling.  It is also sometimes a difficult concept.  It does not mean that the counselor again always agrees with beliefs, choices, or actions of a client, but it does entail an unwavering support for the client/victim/survivor that looks not for an agenda or conditional response but a gentle guidance of self development that does not demand but instead listens, nods and recommends without condition.  Studies have shown that when conditions are tied to change, change becomes far more difficult.  Unconditional Positive Regard retains the autonomy of the client to learn how to change on their own terms.

Rogers listed warmth, acceptance and prizing as three key elements of UPR.   Warmth represents the care of the client and genuine empathy.  It is the fertile soil that produces a an atmosphere of trust and disclosure.  Acceptance is the ability of the counselor without bias to accept the immediate emotions of a person in counseling-whether illogical, angry, hateful, confused or resenting (Cochran, 2021, p. 103).  In trauma, many emotions that are sputtered out are helpful in healing.  If they are diagnosed, judged or refuted, then this can stunt disclosure.  Trauma victims or survivors need a place to express their feelings anytime and anyway without judgement.  Acceptance allows the person to express without regret.  Many times, the emotions displayed can help the counselor see clues to past incidents, or even help understand the current emotional state of the person.   Cochran points out that when a person is allowed to swear, scream, express, or seem illogical without reproach, many times, they will re-evaluate their own reactions in a healthy way (2021, p. 103).   Finally, prizing is a concept of UPR that emphasizes the person as a treasure and someone special who is unique and special.  Prizing is not an overstatement or infatuation but is a sensitive way of caring and a genuine way of expressing to the client that he/she matters (Cochran, 2021. p. 104).  Prizing despite the pain and downfalls, also looks to lift the person up by highlighting the strengths of the person and helps encourage the person to healing and change. Rogers believed that UPR helps clients discover who they truly are.  He believed that self-acceptance leads to real change.  Through full expression of the spectrum of emotions, one can in a safe environment see the counselor acceptance and hence accept themselves in expressing issues and trauma (Cochran, 2021, p.109-110).

We cannot put agendas, our own judgements, moral beliefs, or expected outcomes  upon clients.  Some clients in trauma need certain environments to feel safe to heal, or they need to feel that their story has no conditions that must be met.  When counselors put agendas on the table, expect outcomes, or think they know better, then their regard becomes conditioned which is detrimental to disclosure and healing (Cochran, 2021, p. 114-116).   Many times, well trained analytic minded counselors have a difficult time displaying pragmatic solutions or just letting go of an agenda or idea and instead just listening and being present.  Hard to like clients, bad people in the prison system, moral differences, and biased initial thoughts can all play negative roles in how we show unconditional positive regard for a client (Cochran, 2021, p119-121).  It is hence important to see each client, no matter who, as a person that is there to be helped and hopefully understood.  This does not mean suggestions are guidance are not given, but it does mean, an acknowledgement of the client’s current state and an attempt to understand why.  The biggest question should not be “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU” but instead “WHAT HAPPNED TO YOU” (Sweeney, A. 2018).

Discussing the Trauma

The concept of trauma can be difficult to discuss.  Many clients feel embarrassed, or fear judgement or retaliation if they speak.  Others may feel weak if they express traumatic injuries.  Others may have in the past attempted to tell but where quickly dismissed.  Others may have been difficult ways expressing verbally abuse due to PTSD.  Many trauma survivors have a difficult time chronologically making sense of the story but vivid scents, sights, or touches can open the emotional part of the brain.  Hence those who experience trauma in many cases fear labeling when discussing trauma (Sweeney, A. 2018).

Learning how to discuss trauma is important in trauma informed care to avoid re-traumatization

Questions about trauma hence need to be done in a safe environment with genuineness and empathy and with a sensitivity about the story.  Questions about trauma are usually better during assessment than when in actual crisis. They can be asked within the general psychosocial history of the client to avoid a feeling of purposeful probing.  In addition, it is important to preface trauma with a normalizing comment that does not make the person feel like the exception to the rule.  The person should feel completely free not to disclose or discuss details that upset him/her (Sweeney, A, 2018).

Sweeney recommends that for those who disclose or are tentative about disclosure that it is s good thing to disclose and that the person is completely safe from the person, judgement, or labeling.  If the person does not wish, details should not be dissected from the story.  In addition, it is sometimes helpful to help the person slowly enter into the traumatic story by first discussing the initial part of the day prior and then the after feelings before diving deep into the intensity of the story.  The counselor should be aware of any changes in the person’s triggers and reactions to re-telling the story.  The counselor should discuss if this story has ever been told before and if so, how the other party reacted to the story, as well as how the past trauma affects their current life, especially if maladaptive coping is taking place.  When trauma is disclosed, particular trauma specific treatments may be need employed to help healing.  In some cases, the counselor or social worker is clinical and can supply those services, but if not, and non-clinical or pastoral in nature, the counselor will need to refer the person to an appropriately licensed, trained and trusted colleague.  Finally, following any disclosure, it is critical to check on the person’s emotional state to avoid re-traumatizing the person.  This is important because individuals could leave the session feeling less safe and return to maladaptive coping later in the day or even worse, suicidal ideation or attempts.   Follow up is key and consistent monitoring. (Sweeney, 2018).

One important note, if the trauma and abuse is current, counselors and social workers, and certain clergy pending on the nature of disclosure and state laws, except within the seal of Catholic/Orthodox confession, have the legal obligation to report abuse.

Facilitating Better Trauma Response

To respond better to the needs of those in trauma due to abuse, it is key to better facilitate responses to individuals who are dealing with past or present trauma, whether in the counseling room, or short term crisis facilities.  It is even crucial to better respond to those in trauma who are in longer term facilities, or even correctional facilities.

Individuals who suffer from trauma fear labeling, lack of control in decisions, judgement, retribution and lack of safety. Counselors and facilities need to make them feel safe

A team that responds to victims of trauma with no judgement and empathy is key but this involves dismissing older notions.  Notions that dismiss holistic biopsychosocial models for mental distress and only highlight biomedical focus can play a role in impeding healing.  Instead of merely prescribing a medication and taking a pill, alternative practices need to be supplementing with many individuals.  In addition, agencies need better exposure to social , urban, cultural and historical traumas that underline the person’s makeup.  They also need to dismiss notions that treatment involves assessment and conditional parameters for healing that involves an imbalance of power. In these cases, the caregivers have power over the person, make the decisions, and determine the outcomes. In many cases, these same types of lack of control for the abused can cause re-traumatization (Sweeney, 2018).   For instance, not granting a person a say in what they do or take, or unnecessarily constraining an individual can all be triggers to the original abuse.

Ultimately, many agencies and facilities do not have a good trauma informed care plan, as we discussed in other blogs.  In addition, they are underfunded, staff is stressed and morale may be low and the facility may staff shortages.  This leads to stressed, under trained, and confused lower staff members in dealing with patients.  In addition, many of the higher staff in counseling are themselves facing burnout, overwhelmed with paperwork or dealing with inconsistent policies or social networking that never follows through (Sweeney, 2018).  We can hence see the many challenges that facilities and agencies face but the goal and mission must still remain the same to overcome these pitfalls and introduce real healing strategies for individuals experiencing crisis, trauma and abuse.

Conclusion

When someone discloses trauma or abuse, it is a big moment in that person’s life.  Each person with their abuse story is different.  Some have other underlying issues.  Some may have been mocked or not believed, while others may be maladaptively coping.  It is imperative to reach back to each person and give them the security and dignity he/she deserves in disclosing the story.  The counselor must be empathetic, genuine and provide as Rogers calls it, Unconditional Positive Regard.  Older methods of understanding trauma and assessment and conditional plans need dismissed the counselor needs to help the person validate emotions and find constructive ways to heal.  The counselor must be well versed in how to discuss trauma related issues and be careful not only of their own burnout but also in re-traumatizing the client.  Facilities also need to reassess their own mission and policies in helping those in abuse find better solutions and healing.

Please also review AIHCP’s Trauma Informed Care programs, as well as its other multiple behavioral health certifications in grief, crisis, anger and stress management

Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications, especially in Grief Counseling, Crisis Intervention and Trauma Informed Care

Additional Blogs

Attending Skills: Click here

Responding Skills: Click here

Trauma Informed Care: Click here

Resources

Cochran, J & Cochran, N. (2021). “The Heart of Counseling: Practical Counseling Skills Through Therapeutic Relationships” 3rd Ed. Routledge

Sweeny, A, et al. (2018). “A Paradigm Shift: Relationships in Trauma-Informed Mental Health Services” Cambridge University Press

Additional Resources

“Childhood Trauma & ACES”. Cleveland Clinic.  Access here

Olenick, C. (2025). “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Examples and Effects”. WebMD.  Access here

“The Challenge of Disclosing Your Abuse”. Saprea. Access here

Schuckman, A. (2024). “Disclosing Abuse: How to Show Support and Break Stigmas”.  Nationwide Children’s. Access here

Engel, B. (2019). “Helping Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse to Disclose #4”. Psychology Today.  Access here

 

 

 

The New Era of Lifestyle Medicine: 7 Emerging Trends Transforming Healthcare

Posted on by Joseph Gerard

A wooden block sign that says Healthy Lifestyle.

Written by Muhammad Numan,

With the escalation of chronic illnesses like diabetes, arthritis, and other mental illnesses, it is evident that traditional medical treatments would not be enough to treat them. The reason is that medication only treats the symptoms, not the root causes.

Lifestyle medicine is a healthcare approach that seeks to address the root causes of different chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity [i]. Thus, it has the potential to reduce the morbidity rate associated with chronic disease management significantly.

This behavioral intervention involves nutritional support, physical activity, stress management, avoidance of substance use, restorative sleep, and social engagement. Overall, lifestyle intervention is a clinical and population-level approach supported by integrated health coaching. It empowers patients to adopt healthy lifestyle habits, eliminating the need for conventional medications.

Read on to learn about the emerging trends in lifestyle medicine that are transforming healthcare!

 

Emerging Trends in Lifestyle Medicine

Lifestyle medicine employs a whole-person approach with integrated patient care. The seven emerging trends in lifestyle medicine are as follows:

1.     Precision in Lifestyle Medicine Based on Genomics

Precision lifestyle medicine incorporates multiomics data, including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics. Such data helps tailor lifestyle prescriptions, such as physical exercise, diet, and supplement intake, to the individual’s unique lifestyle.

Genomic precision also varies from person to person when it comes to personalized dosing. For instance, in a study, vitamin D was found to benefit individuals with a specific genotype (rs7968585 AA), while for others, it proved to be detrimental. This highlights the importance of personalized dosing in genomics [ii].

2.     Digital Therapeutics and AI-Powered Behavioral Coaching

Digital lifestyle medicine (DLM) has become an emerging field in medicine. It highlights and elevates the importance of daily behaviors to prevent and reverse chronic diseases. Typically, using virtual or digital platforms, digital lifestyle medicine reaches out to patients to empower them to take charge of their healthcare journey.

Digital lifestyle medicine has also taken a next step in personalized treatments. By leveraging data from wearable devices, physicians are able to plan tailored treatment plans for their patients, incorporating their unique choices and preferences. Further, combined with AI powered coaching, digital lifestyle medicine is transitioning into precision lifestyle medicine.

Additionally, AI-based digital interventions integrated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) systems support behavioral strategies [iii]. These strategies are implemented for sustainable life changes.

3.     Microbiome Modulation as a Lifestyle Medicine Strategy

Microbiome modulation refers to intentional alteration of the composition and functioning of the microorganisms in the body through lifestyle interventions. Diet, exercise, sleep, and fasting are a few lifestyle behaviors that play pivotal roles in these alterations and prevent chronic diseases.

According to the research, gut microbiome supplementation, such as probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics, assists in managing dysbiosis, a condition related to dysregulation of intestinal bacterial homeostasis [iv].

Contemporary research aims to find appropriate treatments to increase beneficial microbiota in the gut microbiome to modulate metabolic syndrome and reduce chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.

4.     Lifestyle Medicine in Mental Health and Neuroplasticity

Lifestyle medicine uses non-pharmaceutical strategies to support mental health through neuroplasticity. For instance, physical activities stimulate the production of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is essential for the growth of neurons [v]. These particular neurons are mostly found in the brain’s hippocampus region, which is pivotal for learning and memory.

Several meta-analyses reveal that exercises positively impact your mood more than psychotherapy and medications. Agitation, depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses can be cured with some routine exercise snacks [vi]. These are some short bouts of physical activities like push-ups, squats, or even stair climbing.

5.     Community-Based Interventions

Social prescribing and community-based interventions are among the most effective strategies for transforming healthcare through lifestyle medicine. A systematic review of random trials found that social prescribing interventions targeted specific chronic conditions, resulting in improved quality of life and disease-specific psychological outcomes [vii].

Social cohesion has also improved community engagement through various community-based initiatives. These community outreach programs keep the members active and engaged with each other, fostering their mental well-being.

6.     Lifestyle Medicine Meets Planetary Health

Planetary healthcare is the most undervalued area in medicine. It contends that human health is deeply connected to the earth’s natural system, and environmental degradation is a big public health challenge. Climate change is adversely affecting the very foundation of lifestyle medicine, which we all rely on to prevent chronic conditions [viii].

The situation posits that healthcare professionals should guide individuals to adopt climate-friendly behaviors to improve their quality of life. These include active transport, a biodiversity diet, the use of catalytic inverters in vehicles, and the avoidance of toxins. Such initiatives would build resilience in both individuals and the planet.

7.     Value-Based Care Models Support Lifestyle Medicine

Value-based care models refer to healthcare systems that reward healthcare professionals for providing quality care at affordable prices. Unlike volume-based models, which operate on a quantitative approach, value-based care models prefer quality over quantity [ix]. Coordinated care among the providers and the setting not only encourages prevention but also suggests tools to manage chronic diseases.

Lifestyle medicine completely resonates with the goals of Meadows Place Associates, which offers a value-based care model. Both prevent costly chronic disease conditions, improve long-term health goals, and ensure patient engagement and satisfaction.

Lifestyle Medicine – A Sustainable Solution for the Future of Healthcare

Lifestyle medicine is a medical approach that uses evidence-based behavioral changes to treat, prevent, or even reverse chronic diseases. It focuses on addressing the root causes of illness through evidence-based behavioral change in healthcare.

In the contemporary healthcare system with spiking healthcare challenges, lifestyle medicine provides a powerful tool to overcome these hurdles. Non-pharmaceutical interventions provide integrative healthcare coaching and incorporate nutritional support with healthy habits.

As we move through 2025, lifestyle medicine is becoming essential for everyone’s healthcare journey. Incorporating digital health tools, AI solutions, planetary healthcare, genomics, social prescribing, and microbiome modulation furthers the impact of lifestyle medicine.

Based on these principles, Meadows Place Associates is the one initiative that offers judgment-free, virtual care for adults who are tired of short visits and insurance headaches.

Author’s Biography

Muhammad Numan is a healthcare writer and Content Marketing Executive at Practice EHR, where he has spent the past two years creating impactful content for healthcare professionals. With a Master’s degree in Pharmacy, he brings a unique blend of clinical knowledge and marketing expertise to help health tech companies communicate more clearly and effectively. His work focuses on bridging the gap between complex healthcare concepts and accessible, audience-friendly messaging.

 

REFERENCES

  • Kushner, R. F., & Mechanick, J. I. (2016). The importance of healthy living and defining lifestyle medicine. In Lifestyle Medicine: A Manual for Clinical Practice (pp. 9-15). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  • Ballard, J. L., Wang, Z., Li, W., Shen, L., & Long, Q. (2024). Deep learning-based approaches for multi-omics data integration and analysis. BioData Mining, 17(1), 38.
  • Chen, C., Liu, A., Zhang, Z., Chen, J., & Huang, H. (2024). Digital therapeutics in hypertension: How to make sustainable lifestyle changes. The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, 26(10), 1125-1132.
  • Manske, S. (2024). Lifestyle medicine and the microbiome: Holistic prevention and treatment. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 23(5), 10.
  • Huizenga, A. (2025). Neuroplasticity and mental health: Implications for depression and anxiety treatment. The Cognitive Neuroscience Journal, 8(1), 251.
  • Amiri, S., Mahmood, N., Javaid, S. F., & Khan, M. A. (2024, November). The effect of lifestyle interventions on anxiety, depression and stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. In Healthcare (Vol. 12, No. 22, p. 2263). MDPI.
  • O’Sullivan, D. J., Bearne, L. M., Harrington, J. M., Cardoso, J. R., & McVeigh, J. G. (2024). The effectiveness of social prescribing in the management of long-term conditions in community-based adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation, 38(10), 1306-1320.
  • Pathak, N., Pollard, K. J., & McKinney, A. (2022). Lifestyle medicine interventions for personal and planetary health: the urgent need for action. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 16(5), 589-593.
  • Fernández-Salido, M., Alhambra-Borrás, T., Casanova, G., & Garcés-Ferrer, J. (2024). Value-based healthcare delivery: a scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(2), 134.

 

 

Please also review AIHCP’s Holistic Nursing Certification programs and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.  These programs are online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification

Behavioral Health Certifications: Identifying Fake People Video Blog

Posted on by Mark Moran

Fake people can cause damage professionally, financially, and socially.  It is important as a social skill to protect oneself from deceptive individuals and form the proper boundaries to secure oneself against a fake and deceptive person.  Please also review AIHCP’s Behavioral Health Certifications and see if they meet your academic and professional goals.