Post-Traumatic Stress and Trauma-Informed Practice

Post-Traumatic Stress and Trauma-Informed Practice: A Practical Guide, Third Edition offers a comprehensive and accessible overview of post-traumatic stress and other reactions that may develop following exposure to traumatic events such as life-threatening situations, violent crime, sexual assault, or witnessing death. Post-traumatic stress is characterized by persistent emotional distress and disruption to psychological well-being. This fully updated edition presents the latest research and practical insights in a clear user-friendly format. It is designed to inform and support a wide range of professions, from general practitioners, counsellors, psychologists, and other professionals-including paramedics, military personnel, police officers, social workers, and humanitarian aid workers-who encounter trauma in their work. It will also be of help to trauma survivors and their families wishing to understand more about the impact of psychological trauma and what may help. The guide begins with an overview of post-traumatic stress and related conditions, foundational knowledge on trauma responses, theoretical frameworks, assessment, treatment, and research, along with a brief history of the field. New chapters explore emerging concepts such as post-traumatic growth, highlighting how individuals can derive meaning from adversity and move beyond recovery. Updated discussions on traumatic loss and workplace trauma, reflecting the latest theoretical developments. Drawing on decades of clinical and research experience, authors Regel and Joseph provide practical tools for identifying signs of post-traumatic stress in contexts including bereavement, physical injury, and occupational trauma. Their evidence-based strategies informed by current research and best practice guidelines make this an essential resource for professionals.

Stephen Regel is an Honorary Professor in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham, UK. He was the Clinical Lead at the Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth until his retirement. He has worked with trauma services in Northern Ireland, with the Victim Support Homicide Service, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the British Red Cross and other agencies, and with the emergency services in the UK and abroad as well as humanitarian aid agencies on workplace trauma support programmes. He was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to victims of trauma. Stephen Joseph is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and an Emeritus Professor in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham, UK, where he tutored on the counselling and psychotherapy training programme, and was co-director of the Centre for Trauma, Resilience and Growth. Prior to that he was a research tutor on the clinical psychology programme at the University of Warwick. He has co-edited or authored several books on trauma, including Understanding Posttraumatic Stress (Wiley, 1997), Trauma, Recovery, and Growth (Wiley, 2008), What Doesn't Kill Us (Basic, 2011), and Trauma and the Therapeutic Relationship (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).

- 1: Trauma. Common Responses - 2: Concepts and theories of post-traumatic stress - 3: Risk and resilience. Assessment and formulation - 4: Traumatic loss - 5: Medically related trauma - 6: Cultural responses to trauma - 7: Workplace Trauma Support - 8: Therapy and clinical interventions - 9: Post-traumatic growth - 10: The importance of self-care. Looking after yourself