SAFE AND SOUND : Developing a Trauma-Informed Approach to Spa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 62
referral network of providers so that your services can complement their therapies . Building these bridges will allow your employees will feel safe referring their clients for the kind of body-mind work they can ’ t do , and you ’ ll feel safe referring clients for psychotherapeutic services that you can ’ t do . Keep in mind that ethical best practices mean that you ’ ll need to follow HIPAA regulations when you share information about your guests . And remember , there should never be a financial reward for referrals of this kind .
OBSERVE : Before you act , examine your organization through your new trauma-informed lens . This may be difficult to accomplish alone , so inviting a local trauma expert to spend an experiential day at your facility might be helpful . Use the questions in this article as a guide to help identify systems and SOPs that need change . PRIORITIZE & REVISE : Once you ’ ve identified what needs work , prioritize the changes that will have the greatest impact . Set up a schedule and work through your list with your employees to co-create new SOPs . Having your team involved benefits you in two ways : It helps distribute the work so you ’ re not doing it all , and employees will feel more empowered and invested in the outcomes .
TRAIN : Once you have a new SOP , conduct regular training to ensure full understanding and commitment to the new procedure . Ideally , once a new SOP is launched , you should check back in regularly to get feedback in case there are any questions or concerns that come up . Make customer service process reviews a part of every staff meeting .
MONITOR AND REWARD : For best cooperation and compliance , you ’ ll need to develop a quality assurance program , or add this to the one you have in place . Consider adding relevant questions to your customer feedback forms , conducting regular secret shopper reviews or implementing peer-to-peer employee or management recognition programs . n
THINGS TO KNOW
American Medical Association ( AMA ) Approved Trauma Treatment Modalities of group and individual treatment sessions .
by everyday experiences . This therapy often uses a combination
The modalities listed below are evidence-based methods offered Exposure Therapy by trauma treatment centers or by licensed independent mental This method creates a safe space for an individual to gradually health providers for the treatment of trauma and are generally increase exposure to feared objects , experiences , activities or situations . The exposure can be direct , imaginal , virtual , or intero- accepted as approved treatment by most insurance companies for those who have been diagnosed with PTSD or other traumarelated disorders . When making a recommendation to your
ceptive ( sensory ). This treatment is thought to decrease reactivity , weaken associations between triggering events and clients to seek out therapy , it is helpful to partner with clinicians bad outcomes , help clients gain control over their responses and in your area who offer these types of services . develop healthier beliefs about their abilities to manage their Attachment Regulation and Competency ( ARC ) Framework emotions . This model , developed for children and adolescents and used for
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ( EMDR ) individuals , families and care systems , is like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ( see below ) in that it teaches skills to help gain
In this treatment method a therapist uses cross-hemispheric
( side-to-side ) stimulation — eye movement , tapping or sounds — mastery of emotional regulation . The prescribed activities address developmental stages and cognitive functioning levels and as the client internally recalls memories of the traumatic event . This form of memory reprocessing is intended to help the brain progress from childhood through adolescence . rewire the circuits of the brain and is thought to help move the
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ( DBT ) traumatic memories from the mid-brain ( emotional processing This form of therapy focuses on building a series of skills that center ) to the cerebral cortex ( the thinking center of the brain ) to help individuals cope with intense emotions and develop help reduce the intensity of somatic distress by changing the healthy strategies for tolerating distress that may be triggered way the memory of the event is stored .
KRISTINEHUFFMAN , LICSW , is an Outpatient Services Provider at the Brien Center for Youth and Adolescent Services . She brings over 30 years of experience in hospitality and human services , including providing leadership , staff training , program development , and brand direction for the award-winning Canyon Ranch , Miraval , and Travaasa Resorts .
64 PULSE • MAY / JUNE 2022