Trauma-Informed Support for Partners of Survivors
Do the stories of partners of survivors matter? I tucked this question into my laptop bag and entered the doors of Humber College summer writing school this past July. I had submitted fifteen pages of…
“What do you do for self-care?” It’s one of the first questions asked by partners when they join the Facebook support group Partners to Survivors with Complex Trauma. New members want to know what partners do…
“How do you cope with fatigue as the partner to a trauma survivor?” a friend recently asked. To be honest, the question frightened me. Was I fatigued? Was it a problem? Was I coping? Was…
“As the partner to a trauma survivor, how do you do it? How do you keep going?” Funny. In the last two weeks, I have been asked this question three times. Maybe even weirder, I…
Can the Partners of Childhood Trauma Survivors Experience Vicarious Trauma? You would think the answer is obvious: “Yes,” and “Of course.” But a search for the term in conjunction with partners/ families and trauma shows few results.…
Why Do Adult Survivors Need Advocates? After all, adult survivors of childhood trauma look just like other adults. They talk like adults. They hold jobs, they volunteer, and they go to school. They have families. They…
I’ve recently had a couple of articles sent to me about how to help a survivor if you are in a close relationship. The articles, written by clinicians, were clear, thoughtful and with a good…
My partner has told me how isolating it is to suffer from her CPTSD she got from her ex. I know it’s tough for her to find support since psychologists are beginning to explore its…
How do you celebrate the holidays when you’re too tired to care? It’s a very real question for me this year. Although not a new one. Yes, this year I am especially exhausted. In under…
I was at my second appointment with my new therapist. She asked, “Do you think you have secondary trauma?” I paused and answered: “Yes.” An online search of ‘secondary trauma’ pulls up information for mental…
We Need Stronger Supports for the Families of Survivors with Complex PTSD One of the hardest things about supporting an adult with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is the lack of support for the families. It’s…