Childhood Trauma and Online Counseling: A Path Toward Healing

Studies show that as many as 43% of children experience at least one traumatic event over the course of their childhood. 

These traumatic events and adverse childhood experiences can often have a lasting impact on a person, affecting their development, their mental health, and even their physical health. Sometimes, these trauma symptoms and their negative impact can last well into adulthood.

Thankfully, working with a therapist who specializes in trauma can be a highly effective way to overcome childhood trauma and begin your path toward healing. To help you determine if trauma counseling is the right choice for you, we’ll cover everything that you should know about childhood trauma and online trauma therapy.

What is childhood trauma?

Childhood trauma is defined as psychological harm caused by serious adverse childhood experiences.

There are lots of different types of trauma that a child can experience, including the loss of a parent or other loved one, domestic violence, natural disasters, or any other traumatic event.

When a child experiences severe trauma, it can lead to long-term mental health conditions that often persist well into adulthood. This is why many people who experience traumatic events as a child or adolescent commonly seek therapy services as an adult to heal from the impact of the trauma they experienced.

What are adverse childhood experiences (ACE)?

Adverse childhood experiences are negative, potentially traumatic events experienced as a child. A near-endless list of experiences can fall under this umbrella (such as parental substance use or domestic violence), and adverse childhood experiences can range in severity from mild to severe.

Not all adverse experiences that a child has will lead to childhood trauma. Depending on the child and the severity of what they’ve experienced, however, lasting trauma can occur.

The signs and symptoms of trauma

Childhood trauma can be accompanied by a range of symptoms. Some of the common signs and symptoms that a child is struggling to deal with trauma include:

• Mood swings and emotional outbursts
• Self-destructive behaviors such as self-harm and substance use

• Nightmares or trouble sleeping
• Eating disorders or other changes in appetite or eating habits
• Lower grades or a drop in academic performance
• Physical symptoms such as aches and pains, incontinence, and vomiting

If your child has been through a traumatic experience and is showing any of these signs (or any other symptoms or behaviors that are out of the ordinary), trauma treatment from a licensed therapist may help.

How are childhood trauma and PTSD related?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that commonly develops after a person witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. It’s characterized by symptoms like intrusive thoughts and memories, flashbacks of the event, nightmares, and emotional distress.

There is a strong link between childhood trauma and PTSD. In fact, as many as 15% of girls and 6% of boys who have had traumatic childhood experiences develop PTSD.

How childhood trauma affects adulthood

Traumatic events can be extremely difficult to cope with as a child — and, many times, they can be just as difficult to cope with as an adult.

Childhood trauma survivors that develop PTSD as an adult is one example of how trauma experienced as a child can affect adulthood. Other ways that childhood trauma can negatively impact a person’s mental well-being as an adult include:

• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Social and relationship challenges
• Low self-esteem/self-worth issues
• Anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders
• Substance abuse and addiction
• Physical health issues such as chronic pain, cardiovascular issues, auto-immune disorders, and other stress-related conditions

The potential for these long-term negative impacts is why it’s so important for anyone who has experienced severe childhood trauma to seek counseling services and begin a personalized treatment plan.

What kind of therapy is best for childhood trauma?

There are several forms of therapy available to help children who have experienced a traumatic event — and adults who are still coping with unresolved childhood trauma:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of talk therapy that focuses on helping people identify and reframe negative thought patterns and beliefs.

People who have experienced traumatic events as a child often have beliefs regarding those events that can be harmful. For example, a person may feel like they are to blame for what they experienced or that they deserved the bad thing that happened to them. Beliefs such as these can compound the psychological impacts of trauma, and CBT helps address them.

During CBT therapy sessions, a therapist will work to identify and challenge any negative beliefs or recurring thought patterns that prevent a person from healing from their trauma. By encouraging trauma survivors to think about their experiences in an alternative, healthier way, CBT encourages cognitive restructuring and makes those experiences easier to cope with.

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

While CBT is applicable to a wide range of mental health issues, TF-CBT was specifically developed to help children and adolescents cope with and recover from the effects of traumatic experiences. 

TF-CBT integrates trauma-focused interventions to address issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression resulting from trauma. It incorporates the principles of CBT but also includes techniques to address trauma-related symptoms and reactions.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is an evidence-based treatment commonly used to treat PTSD. It’s a form of exposure therapy that involves gradually exposing clients to the things that trigger their distress to desensitize them to those triggers.

Along with gradual exposure in a safe and relaxing environment, therapists practicing EMDR will also use directed lateral eye movements during the exposure therapy. These movements simulate the movements that the eyes make during REM sleep.; it’s been found that directed lateral eye movement during EMDR can reduce the intensity and vividness of traumatic memories.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that can include several therapeutic techniques (EMDR being one of them). In each case, these techniques aim to reduce a person’s negative emotional response to distressing memories, items, and situations via gradual exposure.

When used for treating childhood trauma, exposure therapy commonly focuses on reducing the emotional distress caused by traumatic memories.

Narrative therapy

Narrative therapy is built around the idea that storytelling and the narratives we create in our own minds have a major impact on how we view ourselves and the world around us. For trauma survivors, narrative therapy can help them rewrite their stories about their experiences into more positive and beneficial versions.

Therapists using narrative therapy to treat childhood trauma will commonly focus on externalizing the problem — helping clients view their trauma as something that happened to them, not something that defines them. They will also focus on helping trauma survivors reauthor their narratives by identifying and challenging negative thoughts and beliefs.

Internal family systems (IFS) therapy

IFS therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the various “parts” or "subpersonalities" within a person’s mind. This therapy is based on the idea that every person has multiple internal parts, each with unique thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

In the case of trauma survivors, it’s thought that these internal parts often become organized around the traumatic experience. IFS therapy draws upon mindfulness, self-compassion, self-acceptance, systems theory, multiplicity of the mind, and trauma theories to reorganize a person’s internal parts into a healthier and more harmonious arrangement.

How does online therapy help with processing and treating childhood trauma?

Today, people seeking mental healthcare treatment for childhood trauma have two different options to choose from: in-person therapy and online therapy (telehealth).

When it comes to which of these options is best, the answer will ultimately depend on your individual needs and preferences. However, online therapy can offer a few unique benefits for treating childhood trauma:

Accessibility and flexibility

Choosing online therapy means you’ll be able to meet with any therapist you like regardless of their location rather than being limited to the therapists in your area. For this reason, online therapy makes meeting with a therapist who specializes in trauma incredibly accessible.

Online therapy also offers a high degree of flexibility, allowing you to communicate with your therapist on your own time and on an as-needed basis.

Convenience and comfort

Online therapy allows you to meet with a therapist who specializes in trauma from the comfort of your own home. It eliminates almost all of the hassles associated with seeing a therapist and, for many people, provides a much more relaxing and convenient alternative to in-person therapy.

Getting matched with the right provider

One major benefit of online therapy platforms like SonderMind is their ability to match therapy seekers with the right provider. 

Few things will have a bigger impact on your experience with therapy than the therapist you choose, so getting matched with the right therapist is a major benefit of online therapy.

SonderMind uses a personalized approach to match clients with the ideal therapist for their specific needs and individual preferences. Best of all, this matching process only takes about 24 hours to complete, allowing you to match and meet with a licensed therapist quickly.

Connect with the right online therapist with SonderMind

Childhood trauma is challenging in many ways, but the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone — therapy can help. To connect with the therapist for your needs and preferences and begin your healing journey, match with a therapist using SonderMind today.

Studies show that as many as 43% of children experience at least one traumatic event over the course of their childhood. 

These traumatic events and adverse childhood experiences can often have a lasting impact on a person, affecting their development, their mental health, and even their physical health. Sometimes, these trauma symptoms and their negative impact can last well into adulthood.

Thankfully, working with a therapist who specializes in trauma can be a highly effective way to overcome childhood trauma and begin your path toward healing. To help you determine if trauma counseling is the right choice for you, we’ll cover everything that you should know about childhood trauma and online trauma therapy.

What is childhood trauma?

Childhood trauma is defined as psychological harm caused by serious adverse childhood experiences.

There are lots of different types of trauma that a child can experience, including the loss of a parent or other loved one, domestic violence, natural disasters, or any other traumatic event.

When a child experiences severe trauma, it can lead to long-term mental health conditions that often persist well into adulthood. This is why many people who experience traumatic events as a child or adolescent commonly seek therapy services as an adult to heal from the impact of the trauma they experienced.

What are adverse childhood experiences (ACE)?

Adverse childhood experiences are negative, potentially traumatic events experienced as a child. A near-endless list of experiences can fall under this umbrella (such as parental substance use or domestic violence), and adverse childhood experiences can range in severity from mild to severe.

Not all adverse experiences that a child has will lead to childhood trauma. Depending on the child and the severity of what they’ve experienced, however, lasting trauma can occur.

The signs and symptoms of trauma

Childhood trauma can be accompanied by a range of symptoms. Some of the common signs and symptoms that a child is struggling to deal with trauma include:

• Mood swings and emotional outbursts
• Self-destructive behaviors such as self-harm and substance use

• Nightmares or trouble sleeping
• Eating disorders or other changes in appetite or eating habits
• Lower grades or a drop in academic performance
• Physical symptoms such as aches and pains, incontinence, and vomiting

If your child has been through a traumatic experience and is showing any of these signs (or any other symptoms or behaviors that are out of the ordinary), trauma treatment from a licensed therapist may help.

How are childhood trauma and PTSD related?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that commonly develops after a person witnesses or experiences a traumatic event. It’s characterized by symptoms like intrusive thoughts and memories, flashbacks of the event, nightmares, and emotional distress.

There is a strong link between childhood trauma and PTSD. In fact, as many as 15% of girls and 6% of boys who have had traumatic childhood experiences develop PTSD.

How childhood trauma affects adulthood

Traumatic events can be extremely difficult to cope with as a child — and, many times, they can be just as difficult to cope with as an adult.

Childhood trauma survivors that develop PTSD as an adult is one example of how trauma experienced as a child can affect adulthood. Other ways that childhood trauma can negatively impact a person’s mental well-being as an adult include:

• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Social and relationship challenges
• Low self-esteem/self-worth issues
• Anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders
• Substance abuse and addiction
• Physical health issues such as chronic pain, cardiovascular issues, auto-immune disorders, and other stress-related conditions

The potential for these long-term negative impacts is why it’s so important for anyone who has experienced severe childhood trauma to seek counseling services and begin a personalized treatment plan.

What kind of therapy is best for childhood trauma?

There are several forms of therapy available to help children who have experienced a traumatic event — and adults who are still coping with unresolved childhood trauma:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a form of talk therapy that focuses on helping people identify and reframe negative thought patterns and beliefs.

People who have experienced traumatic events as a child often have beliefs regarding those events that can be harmful. For example, a person may feel like they are to blame for what they experienced or that they deserved the bad thing that happened to them. Beliefs such as these can compound the psychological impacts of trauma, and CBT helps address them.

During CBT therapy sessions, a therapist will work to identify and challenge any negative beliefs or recurring thought patterns that prevent a person from healing from their trauma. By encouraging trauma survivors to think about their experiences in an alternative, healthier way, CBT encourages cognitive restructuring and makes those experiences easier to cope with.

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)

While CBT is applicable to a wide range of mental health issues, TF-CBT was specifically developed to help children and adolescents cope with and recover from the effects of traumatic experiences. 

TF-CBT integrates trauma-focused interventions to address issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression resulting from trauma. It incorporates the principles of CBT but also includes techniques to address trauma-related symptoms and reactions.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is an evidence-based treatment commonly used to treat PTSD. It’s a form of exposure therapy that involves gradually exposing clients to the things that trigger their distress to desensitize them to those triggers.

Along with gradual exposure in a safe and relaxing environment, therapists practicing EMDR will also use directed lateral eye movements during the exposure therapy. These movements simulate the movements that the eyes make during REM sleep.; it’s been found that directed lateral eye movement during EMDR can reduce the intensity and vividness of traumatic memories.

Exposure therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that can include several therapeutic techniques (EMDR being one of them). In each case, these techniques aim to reduce a person’s negative emotional response to distressing memories, items, and situations via gradual exposure.

When used for treating childhood trauma, exposure therapy commonly focuses on reducing the emotional distress caused by traumatic memories.

Narrative therapy

Narrative therapy is built around the idea that storytelling and the narratives we create in our own minds have a major impact on how we view ourselves and the world around us. For trauma survivors, narrative therapy can help them rewrite their stories about their experiences into more positive and beneficial versions.

Therapists using narrative therapy to treat childhood trauma will commonly focus on externalizing the problem — helping clients view their trauma as something that happened to them, not something that defines them. They will also focus on helping trauma survivors reauthor their narratives by identifying and challenging negative thoughts and beliefs.

Internal family systems (IFS) therapy

IFS therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the various “parts” or "subpersonalities" within a person’s mind. This therapy is based on the idea that every person has multiple internal parts, each with unique thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

In the case of trauma survivors, it’s thought that these internal parts often become organized around the traumatic experience. IFS therapy draws upon mindfulness, self-compassion, self-acceptance, systems theory, multiplicity of the mind, and trauma theories to reorganize a person’s internal parts into a healthier and more harmonious arrangement.

How does online therapy help with processing and treating childhood trauma?

Today, people seeking mental healthcare treatment for childhood trauma have two different options to choose from: in-person therapy and online therapy (telehealth).

When it comes to which of these options is best, the answer will ultimately depend on your individual needs and preferences. However, online therapy can offer a few unique benefits for treating childhood trauma:

Accessibility and flexibility

Choosing online therapy means you’ll be able to meet with any therapist you like regardless of their location rather than being limited to the therapists in your area. For this reason, online therapy makes meeting with a therapist who specializes in trauma incredibly accessible.

Online therapy also offers a high degree of flexibility, allowing you to communicate with your therapist on your own time and on an as-needed basis.

Convenience and comfort

Online therapy allows you to meet with a therapist who specializes in trauma from the comfort of your own home. It eliminates almost all of the hassles associated with seeing a therapist and, for many people, provides a much more relaxing and convenient alternative to in-person therapy.

Getting matched with the right provider

One major benefit of online therapy platforms like SonderMind is their ability to match therapy seekers with the right provider. 

Few things will have a bigger impact on your experience with therapy than the therapist you choose, so getting matched with the right therapist is a major benefit of online therapy.

SonderMind uses a personalized approach to match clients with the ideal therapist for their specific needs and individual preferences. Best of all, this matching process only takes about 24 hours to complete, allowing you to match and meet with a licensed therapist quickly.

Connect with the right online therapist with SonderMind

Childhood trauma is challenging in many ways, but the good news is that you don’t have to go it alone — therapy can help. To connect with the therapist for your needs and preferences and begin your healing journey, match with a therapist using SonderMind today.