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Stemming the Tide of Trauma Systemically: The Role of Family Therapy
Author(s) -
Figley Charles R.,
Figley Kathleen Regan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1375/anft.30.3.173
Subject(s) - traumatology , harm , protocol (science) , fidelity , psychology , project commissioning , traumatic stress , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , medicine , publishing , psychiatry , social psychology , alternative medicine , political science , engineering , pathology , orthopedic surgery , law , electrical engineering
The initial section of this article describes the frequency with which people are exposed to various forms of traumatic stressors and the limitations of linear thinking in both assessing and treating the consequences of traumatic exposure as reported by the Institute of Medicine. The middle section of the article identifies the research and theory that supports the utility of systemic thinking and action in working with traumatised systems, especially families. The final section includes an outline of a protocol for family therapists and other systems‐informed practices to help traumatised families and other systems. A critical part of the protocol is that it meets the standards of trauma‐informed practice reflected by the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology and the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) guidelines, and the six criteria for evaluating treatment approaches. These criteria include do no harm, exposure titration control, reciprocal inhibition tuning, quantity and quantity of training, fit and fidelity and evidence of effectiveness.