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Unresolved trauma can have severe impacts on interpersonal communication, familial relationships, physical health, and emotional regulation. When these issues become too hard to cope with, many women resort to different forms of self-harm, which can be detrimental to health. Some of them, especially the ones who experienced childhood abuse, develop mental health disorders like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) later in life. Research suggests that women are two to three times more likely to develop PTSD than men. [1] To avoid trauma-related complications and minimize their effects on daily life, many women’s trauma treatment centers have been working across the country to help vulnerable females get better in a comfortable environment.
Benefits of Joining Women’s PTSD Treatment Centers
Seeking women’s trauma therapy treatment for PTSD and other associated complications is preferred by many females as it offers gender-specific support.
Specialized Treatment
Research agrees that men and women have vast differences in terms of responding to trauma and its aftereffects. [2] Due to differences in symptoms and presentation of PTSD and other trauma-related disorders, women may not benefit much in a combined setting. They will get more personalized treatment in a women’s specific rehab.
Fewer Distractions
Sometimes, participating in a mixed group with members of the opposite gender can prove as a distraction for females, leading to emotional, physical, or mental tension. Clients may often become attracted to one another, making it difficult for them to open up in a group setting. To avoid such distractions, women fighting trauma and PTSD can consider joining a gender-specific rehab. Others may choose women’s trauma residential treatment as they feel more comfortable and relaxed among females only.
Peer Support
Peer interaction and support remain crucial for success in a rehab setting. Having someone to relate to regarding shared life experiences can encourage everyone in the room to fully participate in therapy and focus on recovery. Women face many challenges that only other females can relate to. Hence, when they open up to peers in a women’s trauma therapy treatment program, they have many to link to, which positively benefits their recovery.
More Effective Treatment
A person who doesn’t feel comfortable in a room with the opposite gender may not fully engage or participate in therapy. Consequently, they are not likely to benefit from treatment and may leave soon feeling left out or unfulfilled. To avoid this happening with women facing trauma, experts recommend joining women’s only groups as they allow such females to feel a connection with those around them and maximize participation in ongoing treatment for better outcomes.
More Focus on Gender-Specific Issues
Both men and women face multiple gender-specific issues that potentially aggravate their trauma. These issues are best shared and discussed among people of the same gender as women can truly understand the plight of other women going through similar experiences. For example, only women can understand the emotional battles that accompany motherhood, pregnancy, and certain kinds of traumas. For this reason, women’s trauma treatment centers can be an excellent place to begin recovery for females.
Avoiding Arguing About Gender-Specific Issues
Gender-specific treatment for women also eliminates many sensitive gender-specific issues that may otherwise cause debates, arguments, and quarrels if discussed in a mixed group. Such groups often spend more time pushing their gender or defending it than managing underlying trauma, negatively impacting the overall treatment outcome. With women’s only groups, these issues can be avoided, giving all female participants a chance to focus on their ongoing recovery process entirely.
Components of a Women’s Trauma Recovery Program
While the exact components of a women’s trauma recovery program may vary, some common ones include the following:
Residential Treatment Program
The pillars of an excellent residential treatment program for females are the same as those of hope: affection, warmth, and safety. The program aims to support women with a background of trauma to reconstruct their lives and learn how to keep their traumatic experiences in check by living in a peaceful setting with round-the-clock support and assistance. The duration of a residential program for trauma treatment in a women’s rehab can vary depending on how severe the trauma is and individual response. In general, most rehabs offer programs lasting 30,60 or 90 days with a possibility of extension if needed.
Partial Hospitalization Programs
Partial hospitalization programs or PHPs include a well-organized outpatient framework that provides for group therapy involving female participants, where they learn to pick up different practical skills that help with trauma management. Women enrolling in PHPs can choose to remain in their homes and travel to seek therapy or join onsite accommodations according to their needs.
Intensive Outpatient Programs
Also known as IOPs, intensive outpatient programs deliver diagnostic and therapeutic services at a lower intensity than residential programs and PHPs. The sessions are much less intense and widely spaced out. IOPs are ideal for women who have completed the more intense treatment stages and now require ongoing mental health counseling for support. Those with more severe forms of trauma or its aftereffects may not benefit from IOP directly and require a more rigorous approach toward treatment before transitioning to this outpatient program.
Aftercare Program
Reintegration into society following any rehab treatment is hard, but the process can be made easier through a good reintegration program. Many women’s PTSD treatment centers offer aftercare programs personalized for each client as they leave the rehab. Some also provide clients with transition coaches who follow them up after discharge and are always available when times get tough. A good reintegration program also includes educational groups to help women cope and understand their trauma and its roots. These services often extend to family members so they can understand what their loved ones are going through and how to support them in the process of recovery best.
FAQs
What are the different types of trauma that a woman can face in her life?
Trauma exists in more than one type. Some involve physical abuse, while other types include emotional abuse. Some everyday traumatic events that may negatively impact a woman, leading her to seek help from a rehab, include the following:
- Divorce or separation
- Facing bullying at school
- Neglect
- Emotional abuse
- Domestic violence
What does womens trauma therapy treatment include?
Women’s trauma therapy treatment emphasizes person-focused care and includes various evidence-based services. Depending on what works best for each female, a women’s rehab may offer:
- Family therapy
- Individual and group therapy
- Medication management services
- Multiple types of experiential therapy
- Dialectical behavioral therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
Some rehabs also offer 12-step education and support to women and girls receiving trauma support and help.
Why should I go for PTSD treatment programs for women?
Women have specific goals and needs that separate them from men when participating in trauma treatment. Seeking women-only programs can address these issues more aptly, ensuring that each woman receives the most comprehensive treatment possible in a supported and safe area. Moreover, these programs also take women’s emotional and physical issues into account while helping them overcome trauma-related problems. The comfort levels in such programs are much higher, and they offer all participants a chance to communicate with like-minded people who can relate to their experiences.
References
1 Olff M. Sex and gender differences in post-traumatic stress disorder: an update. European journal of psychotraumatology. 2017 Sep 29;8(sup4):1351204.
2 Brand B. Trauma and women. Psychiatric Clinics. 2003 Sep 1;26(3):759-79.
