In this session we will be looking at medical trauma, or more specifically how some people are either:
- traumatised by medical procedures that they must endure as part of treatment, or,
- if they already have experienced trauma, how this may set the scene for being more likely to develop trauma.
The webinar will focus on a review of aspects of medical trauma that may be different from PTSD, especially when the medical treatment is ongoing, as in the case of cancer. Medical trauma can arise from a single acute event (a traumatic birth, a cardiac arrest, an ICU stay) or accumulate through repeated difficult experiences (chronic illness requiring ongoing procedures, childhood hospitalisations). The aftermath can include classic PTSD symptoms, healthcare avoidance, panic around medical settings or procedures, difficulty trusting providers, and sometimes somatic symptoms that mirror the original experience.
The training outline is as follows:
- The neurobiology of trauma and how this may be different in a medical setting
- How it differs from other types of trauma
- Complaint patterns
- Unexpected complications, pain or other outcomes
- Lack of consent - linked to trauma and processing
- The body has betrayed the client - linked to loss of control
- Treatment of medical trauma
- Trauma Bonding to medical team – source of harm is also help
- Compliance with treatment impacted by trauma
This is the final session in a 3-part series on trauma with Lucy Wise. The sessions are:
About our presenter: Lucy Wise
Lucy Wise is a psychologist with clinical endorsement and 25 years’ experience in trauma treatment and system consultation. Her early research examined developmental differences in children's versus adults' crime scene perceptions, informing interview protocols for abuse victims and establishing her interest and passion in trauma-informed practice.
Following extensive public sector work, she entered private practice in 2007 and established the Launceston Psychology Clinic in 2022, where her work has included:
- Professional consultation for organisations
- Maintenance of an active interest and client load working with people with disabilities and psychiatric disorders including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, substance abuse and trauma
- Working extensively in Workers Compensation with different populations including wellbeing (police, fire, ambulance)
- Supervision as an Ahpra board approved supervisor and for the Eating Disorder credentialling program
- Working for the Ahpra performance team, which led to the development of training programs to improve standards for her own clinicians and others in the field
- Developing trainings on Workers Compensation, case notes for clinicians and trauma training, and a screening tool for medical trauma.
Lucy has also provided clinical services to survivors of institutional abuse through the Commission of Inquiry process, and opinion to legal services on the impact of trauma on the functional capacity of a victim. This work led to the development of evidence-based client resources, including therapeutic workbooks for between-session skill implementation for clients working on trauma or those with medical trauma. She currently has in print “my Cancer Guidebook” and “my trauma recovery guidebook” and is working on her third book “my relationship breakdown recovery guidebook”.
Lucy's training program development emerged from clinical observations of inconsistent trauma-informed approaches across service sectors. Her integrated model addresses both client-facing trauma-informed protocols and staff vicarious trauma prevention, recognising the interconnection between practitioner wellbeing and service quality.
Webinar timing: 7:00 – 8:00 PM AEST
Access to the recording of this webinar: A recording of this webinar will be available through the CPD Webinar Library, but for the best experience and the opportunity to ask your questions, join us live. Everyone who registers will be advised via email as soon as the recording is available. Members have unlimited access to the recording, and non-members will have access for 6 months.