Trauma & Anxiety Clinic

I am so excited to announce the launch of Peachtree DBT’s new Trauma and Anxiety Clinic! Peachtree DBT is now offering EMDR treatment, PE treatment and a DBT-PE track as resources for clients who suffer from the challenges associated with overcoming a traumatic event. These services are available to clients who are currently in our DBT program and those who have therapists in the community who want to do short term trauma work and continue working with their current therapist.I became inspired to learn more about trauma treatment as my practice grew at Peachtree DBT. I found myself (and many of my teammates) with a number of clients who had experienced traumatic events and were having difficulty coping with memories, triggers and emotions associated with them. It seemed like there were limited services available to these clients who were living with such challenging symptoms in their daily lives. I was moved to learn more about what is referred to among DBT clinicians as “phase two” of DBT treatment, which involves treating past trauma and helping clients to truly build a life worth living. I met with colleagues and scoured clinical literature for the most effective for trauma, PTSD and anxiety. Time after time, I ran into two forms of trauma treatment: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Prolonged Exposure (PE). Both of these forms of treatment have been proven through years of extensive research to effectively treat trauma and even help clients who have been diagnosed with PTSD no longer meet criteria for that diagnosis. Research conducted by Melanie Harned, Ph. D. suggests that Prolonged Exposure treatment can be combined with Dialectical Behavior Therapy for clients needing to address trauma related symptoms. In December one of my teammates, Betsy Craig, and I will be headed to White Planes, NY to complete a 4 day training on the implementation of DBT-PE. I can’t wait to learn more about this specialized protocol and hone my skills!