Online trauma therapy is a type of therapeutic treatment. It’s geared toward clients who are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or who have been struggling to manage one or more traumatic events that have occurred in their lives. Traumatic events can negatively impact an individual’s mental and emotional health. That’s why trauma-informed therapy can be helpful to those impacted. 

During trauma therapy, therapists will work with clients to achieve several goals. These include accepting their traumatic experiences, developing healthy coping mechanisms and improving the quality of their lives after experiencing the trauma.

Online trauma therapy is virtually the same as in-person trauma therapy. All online therapy requires is a stable internet connection and a device with a video camera. The benefits of online therapy are just the same as the benefits of in-person therapy. For some, online therapy is a better alternative to in-person treatment sessions. It eliminates the need to find reliable transportation for each session. Online therapy also allows teens to stay in school while still getting the mental health treatment they need.  

What are some symptoms that may suggest that teens and their parents should go looking for online trauma therapy?

• Problems sleeping — One symptom that may suggest that a teen and their parent(s) should seek out online trauma therapy is if there are problems with sleep. An abnormal lack of sleep, night terrors or persistent nightmares are all effects of trauma.
• Physiological stress — One of the signs of trauma in teens is persistent physiological stress. This includes heart racing, hyperventilation, nausea, shaking or any other bodily reactions to stress.
• Flashbacks to the event — It is common for clients who have experienced trauma to have flashbacks of the event.
• Memory loss — Some people who have undergone a traumatic experience will report memory loss. They may also describe not being able to piece together certain parts of the event.
• Changes in mood — Those who have experienced traumatic events can also exhibit changes in mood. This might look like increased irritability, sadness or anger, to name just a few examples.

What are some benefits of online trauma therapy for teens?

• Helping develop healthy coping skills — One of the benefits of online trauma therapy for teens is that it can help them develop healthy coping skills. As a young adult dealing with a traumatic experience, it can be easy to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms. These unhealthy mechanisms could lead to issues further down the road. But online trauma therapy could help. Trauma therapy can guide teenagers in the right direction so they are able to manage their traumatic experience throughout their lifetime.
• Helping identify potential triggers — Online trauma therapy can also help a teen with PTSD identify what their triggers are. That way they can avoid them or learn how to deal with these triggers when they come up in life. 
• Helping process trauma — Has your teen had the resources to process a traumatic event? Online trauma-based therapy can help. It can provide them with the space and tools they need to process what happened and approach it head-on.
• Helping create a sense of safety and security — Another benefit of online trauma-focused therapy is that it can help clients build a sense of safety and security. These may have vanished following the traumatic event. However, re-forming security is essential for improving the quality of life of clients who have trauma.

Lightfully wants to help teens recover from trauma through online, virtual treatment

Our mission at Lightfully is to work with individuals to change their life compassionately. We strive to provide high-quality mental health care, including virtual treatment, to various types of clients. We use a focused approach to process-based therapy. Our framework consists of evidence-based, clearly defined, data-driven and whole-person-centered care. Lightfully offers various layers of service to both adults and teens: residential treatment, Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (vIOP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), also referred to as our Day Treatment Program. We regularly see clients who actively manage mood disorders, anxiety disorders and trauma disorders. If you or your teen have been impacted by a traumatic event, virtual treatment for trauma is an option for you. We’re confident that we can guide our clients through processing their trauma and developing healthy coping mechanisms.

Our licensed, clinical experts see each client as a complex and layered human — not just a diagnosis. We value our clients as they are and hope to enrich their lives through treatment. Our vision for the future is an authentic and loving community where everyone can be seen, heard, and valued as they are. We believe in the light within each individual. When that light is properly nurtured it can allow a person to shine brighter than ever before.

Change is possible. When they’re ready to take the first step, they can reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of themselves.