Trauma and Beyond Psychological Center in Sherman Oaks, California Announced the Opening of Two New Groups

Sherman Oaks, CA, August 1, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Trauma and Beyond Psychological Center in Sherman Oaks, California announced the opening of 2 new groups to be held at the center. These trauma-informed groups will offer a lower cost alternative to individual psychotherapy.

“The groups will be psycho-educational in nature, teaching individuals skills to help regulate their nervous systems and track bodily responses,” reports Dr. Lynne Friedman-Gell.  

The groups will incorporate skills from several well-known treatment modalities for dealing with traumatic stress and addressing the functional unity of the mind and body. Somatic Experiencing (SE), the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy all use the body as an entry point in working with unresolved trauma.

Friedman-Gell is one of the founders of Trauma and Beyond, which serves various methods of trauma treatment in Los Angeles.

"Chronic dysregulation of the nervous system is one of the major challenges for individuals suffering from traumatic stress,” says Dr. Joanne Barron. “Our first priority is to help individuals feel safer by teaching them tools to reduce emotional and bodily symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, numbing, avoidance, or dissociation.”

The groups will incorporate skills from several well-known treatment modalities for dealing with traumatic stress and addressing the functional unity of the mind and body. Somatic Experiencing (SE), the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy all use the body as an entry point in working with unresolved trauma. According to Dr. Peter Levine, author of Waking the Tiger and creator of Somatic Experiencing Psychotherapy, “The bodies of traumatized people portray “snapshots” of their unsuccessful attempts to defend themselves in the face of threat and injury. Trauma is a highly activated incomplete biological response to the threat, frozen in time.”

Dr. Friedman-Gell and Dr. Barron see group therapy as an effective modality for teaching skills to help clients recognize activation of the sympathetic nervous system by tracking bodily sensations. Learning and practicing skills of grounding, tracking and resourcing help clients to develop a sense of agency as they learn to utilize these symptoms reducing skills. Additionally, a group setting can provide a safe place to share the distress that clients have been experiencing as they learn that they are not alone.

The group starting July 27, 2018 “Mindfulness and Somatic DBT” is a skills-based group focusing on combining DBT skills such as skills for distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness with a focus on self-compassion. On Aug. 9, 2018 “Trauma Skills Group will focus on understanding the nature of trauma and trauma triggers while learning important skills for self-regulation and self-soothing.”

At Trauma and Beyond Center treatment is done in a 3 Phase Model. The first phase of trauma treatment is Stabilization which deals with addressing symptoms in order to provide a safe non-retraumatizing therapeutic experience. Stage 2 is where traumatic memories can be reprocessed using a gentle and support approach which incorporates strengthening and working with the client’s internal resources. In Stage 3 clients will begin to reconnect with themselves and others in new ways promoting growth of new neuropathways.

Please call (818) 351-3511 or visit the website at traumaandbeyondcenter.com for more information about the groups or other services at the center.

Source: Trauma and Beyond Psychological Center