Teens and Trauma
This site is intended as a self-help tool for teens who have experienced any kind of trauma, including:
- Violence
- Accidents
- Physical assault
- Sexual assault
- Natural disasters
- Loss of a loved one or grief
Some traumatic events happen once and involve an injury or threat of injury to yourself, friends or loved ones. These experiences may induce overwhelming feelings of terror or helplessness.
Other traumas can happen repeatedly over long periods of time. They generate feelings of guilt, anxiety about or shame. You can be involved, or just witness something and still be traumatized by it.
This reaction is called traumatic stress. These reactions can last a long time after the event is over.
In this site, we provide information to help teens manage traumatic stress. It is not a replacement for counseling. You need face-to-face support to deal with the distress that accompanies living through a tragedy or trauma.
Please talk to your doctor and get support from a person trained to assist people recovering from trauma. If you avoid dealing with your reactions, you could start experiencing problems in relationships, work, and school, long after the traumatic event ends.
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Benight at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, using information from the Journey to Trauma Recovery Web site.
Sources:
Below are links PAMF accessed when researching this topic. PAMF does not sponsor or endorse any of these sites, nor does PAMF guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on them.
Bay Area
- “Teen Talk and Munch Group,” a grief support group for teens. Pathways Home Health, Hospice and Private Duty, in Sunnyvale.
- Kara Grief Support and Education: individual and group support, community outreach and education.
- National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Veterans Administration
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)
- Gift From Within: An International Nonprofit Organization for Survivors of Trauma and Victimization
- Chill & Spill: A Place to Put it Down and Work It Out (Grades 6 and up): journal and activity book for teens.