group therapy

Trauma Skills Group in NYC

Learn proven techniques and improve how you cope.

What Is a Trauma Skills Group?

Our trauma skills group in NYC exists for people who have experienced trauma and feel stuck in moving past unwanted symptoms. This program focuses on helping people develop coping skills and techniques to deal with symptoms of trauma, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.

Our group addresses two factors underlying trauma- your ability to cope and your ability to connect. Traumatic events cannot be undone, but you can learn to regain control over your life. By doing this work in a group setting, you learn to share parts of you that you have kept hidden. With practice, you’ll implement new and improved coping tools effectively in your own life.

People in a trauma skills group will have the opportunity to share their experiences with others who have been through similar situations. This provides an opportunity for support and connection, an essential part of healing from trauma.

What causes Trauma?

Trauma is not just what happened to you. Trauma is also what changed in you in response to what happened, and how those changes directly impact your life today. 

Traumatic events are experiences that generate a significant amount of distress with little to no support. There is often threat or fear of threat involved, where someone is truly at risk of harm. These experiences are overwhelming and unique to each individual. Almost any event can be considered traumatic, but there are several common situations: 

  • Abuse (neglect, physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal)

  • Oppression (poverty, racism, homophobia, transphobia)

  • Assault (robbery, mugging, rape, or domestic violence)

  • Combat or war experiences (military veteran, refuge) 

  • Natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, earthquakes)

  • Attachment (Sudden death of a loved one, family relationships)

  • Community Disruption (unsafe neighborhoods, school violence, social injustice)

  • Traumatic medical procedures or diagnosis (including medical racism, medical fatphobia)

A major risk factor in developing trauma after a traumatic event is the lack of supportive relationships. When someone does not have consistent or reliable support, they struggle to manage the stress of their trauma alone. When a trusted relationship is the one who causes you harm,  this difficulty to access support becomes more intense. 

How does trauma impact you?

People who have experienced trauma experience the world much differently. Trauma can have  a profound impact on you physically, emotionally, and mentally (i.e. your perspective or beliefs). In this group, you will learn about these changes to practice skills while learning to build compassion for yourself. Some changes created by trauma include:

 

    • Fear Responses – You may feel stuck with the idea that bad things are about to happen to you at any moment. You may experience physical symptoms including racing heartbeat, nausea, shortness of breath, or loss of appetite.

    • Physical Changes – This may look like digestive trouble, chronic pain or tension, not taking care of your physical needs (sleep, exercise, nutrition, etc.), or even self-harming behaviors.

    • Emotional Changes – You may experience numbness at times, and then emotional outbursts at others. Your emotions may seem to “rule” you like you’re not in control anymore, and you might find that you judge yourself harshly.

    • Cognitive Changes – You may have a negative body image, self-critical thoughts, or irrational beliefs. You may experience intrusive or unwanted thoughts that feel difficult to control.

    • Relationship Changes – You may develop an aversion to particular types of touch or intimacy, which make it difficult to connect with a partner. You may also struggle to feel loved, or fully trust other people.

 Other trauma reactions you may be experiencing:

Reminders and Triggers – You may have intense physical reactions to triggers, such as a racing heart, which are often outside of your control. It’s not uncommon for people who’ve been through trauma to experience flashbacks, nightmares, and dissociation in response to triggers.

Safety and Risk-Seeking – After a traumatic event some people may engage in destructive and impulsive behaviors that are otherwise out of character. These include reckless driving, gambling, using substances, disordered eating, risky sexual behavior, or other potentially harmful behaviors that may put your safety at risk.

Above are some common reactions that people may experience as a result of trauma, and are not a sign of weakness. Nor do you have to experience everything on this list in order for your trauma to be “valid.” They are natural and normal responses to the abnormal situation(s) you experienced.

Trauma reactions can vary in intensity and duration and can be triggered by anything that reminds you of the original event or situation. When we learn to understand what these changes are, we can more easily identify how to address them.

THERAPISTS WHO CAN HELP

NYC Therapists Who Specialize in Trauma Skills Groups

Connecting with the right therapist is the most important factor in your search. We’re here to help you find a great match.

Benefits of a Trauma Skills Group

A trauma skills group can provide a variety of benefits to people who have experienced trauma.

While it is true that trauma changes us, therapy changes us, too. By learning how to self-regulate to work through your trauma, you can experience a more comfortable life. By joining our trauma skills group in NYC, you will learn how to:

      • Improve how you cope with trauma and stress

      • Confront and overcome your fears in a safe environment

      • Connect with others and try out new, more effective behaviors 

      • Understand yourself better by learning about other people’s experiences

      • Learn how to challenge and replace unhelpful thoughts 

What Does a Trauma Skills Group Look Like?

 In this weekly, 90-minute virtual group, members meet online via Zoom. This ten-week group program is open to adults (ages 18 and up) who have experienced any kind of trauma. Monica Amorosi, LMHC, a certified clinical trauma professional leads groups based on her original group curriculum.

Establishing effective coping skills to manage traumatic stress is often the first step in moving through trauma healing. This group maintains the same 6 members as you move through the 10-week curriculum, addressing a different topic each week.

During sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to share your story and hear from others. This provides an opportunity for you to feel heard and gain support in a safe environment. You’ll also learn new, effective coping skills that you’ll practice outside of guided sessions. You can also expect to gain knowledge about trauma’s impact on your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, relationships, and how to improve how you feel and relate to others. While talking about your trauma may sound scary at first, keep in mind that it’s done safely and at your own pace.

Once you complete the ten-week trauma skills group program, you may benefit by continuing to process your trauma story. If you feel ready to dive deeper into your experiences, check out our Trauma Processing Group here at Clarity Therapy.

What If I’m Not Ready To Join Group Therapy for Trauma?

Everyone processes their experiences at different rates, so don’t feel pressured to start therapy if you don’t think you’re ready. If you want to pursue healing but aren’t ready for therapy yet, there are still resources available to help you process and learn.

Acknowledge That You May Need Help

Trauma is something that you can’t just immediately get over; it requires time and effort to work through. Trauma denial can be a coping mechanism, but it will not make the trauma disappear. Acknowledging that you may need help is an essential first step.

Seek Help From Your Support System

This might still be daunting, but talking to a loved one or friend about what you’re going through can help. For instance, you can discuss your doubts about group therapy. Talking openly about your uncertainties is already a big step toward recovery.

Talk to a Trauma Therapist 1:1

If joining group therapy for trauma is too much for you to begin with, start with one-on-one therapy. A therapist can help you work through your trauma and help you create goals that are tailored to your needs and comfort level. Click here to get matched with a therapist who specializes in treating trauma for free.

 

DO YOU OFFER OTHER TYPES OF GROUPS?

We offer evidence-based group therapy for the treatment of trauma. Typically, members will start with the Trauma Skills Group to improve how they cope with unwanted trauma symptoms. Then, once you gain the foundational skills, you can choose to join the Trauma Processing Group to begin your journey towards healing.

We also offer a Dialectical Behavior Skills (DBT) Group where members learn the techniques to better manage stress, negative feelings, and improve their relationships.

Schedule a complimentary consultation with specialist and group therapist, Monica Amorosi, LMHC or contact her directly at [email protected] to learn more.

Interested in Joining a trauma skills Group in NYC?

We’re ready to help.

Joining a trauma skills group is a significant decision toward your healing journey.  To learn more about joining our online trauma skills group, schedule a free consultation with Monica Amorosi, LMHC today.

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Amy Schell, LMHC
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Ariel Zeigler, Ph.D
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Begoña Núñez Sánchez, LP
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Carole Taylor-Tumilty, LCSW
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Caryn Moore, LCSW
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Christina Mancuso, LCSW
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Courtney Cohen, LMHC
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Daniel Rich, LMHC
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Elena Beharry, Psy.D
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Eliza Chamblin, LCSW
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Fanny Ng, Ph.D
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Gary Brucato, Ph.D
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Gavin Shafron, Ph.D
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Janel Coleman, LMSW
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Jen Oddo, LMSW
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Jessa Navidé, Psy.D.
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Joanna Kaminski, LMFT
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Josh Watson, LMSW
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Justin L.F. Yong, LMHC
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Karen Kaur, Ph.D
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Kristin Anderson, LCSW
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Logan Jones, Psy.D
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Lucas Saiter, LMHC
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Monica Amorosi, NCC
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Nicole Maselli, LMHC
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Peter Gradilone, LMSW
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ADDRESS

276 5th Avenue, Suite 605,
New York, NY 10001

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OFFICE HOURS

Monday–Thursday
7am–9pm

Friday
7am–8pm

Saturday-Sunday
8am–4pm

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