The Skyland Trail adolescent residential and PHP mental health treatment programs offer specialized programming to treat teens with primary or co-occurring PTSD and trauma-related disorders. Trained therapists provide individual prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for teens who meet clinical criteria.
Psychological testing completed after admission helps determine the role of trauma in a patient’s presentation. Some teens with primary or co-occurring PTSD may be recommended for PE.
PE involves a series of 8 to 12 individual 90-minute sessions. Imaginal sessions with the trained therapist involve talking about and recording the memory, listening to the recording, and other techniques. In vivo exposure sessions help the patient gradually navigate real-world scenarios related to their specific traumatic experience in a safe and supportive environment.
Prolonged exposure therapy may be beneficial for clients who have trauma-related symptoms that prevent them from fully engaging in foundational CBT or DBT therapeutic work. PE may be most appropriate for patients with a history of trauma experiencing:
- Distressing memories, nightmares, or flashbacks
- Avoidance
- Negative thoughts about self, exaggerated blame of self or others,
- Irritability or angry outbursts
- Self-destructive behaviors
- Overly watchful or suspicious behaviors
- Problems with concentration or sleep
The goal of each session is to reduce the power of the memory of the traumatic event over time. With less potency, the memory becomes less disruptive, and the patient is better able to tolerate discomfort. The client is then able to engage more fully in treatment to address other psychiatric symptoms and improve coping and interpersonal skills.
Residential treatment is an ideal environment for delivering prolonged exposure therapy. As clients work through the gradual exposures, they receive 24/7 support from a multidisciplinary team of experts.
To date, more than five Skyland Trail adolescent clinical team members have completed the Emory University School of Medicine Prolonged Exposure Consultant Training Program, and additional adolescent clinical team members have completed specialized training to serve as a consultant for the program.
For teen patients who do not meet the criteria for PE or who do not choose to participate in PE, trauma-related psychiatric symptoms are addressed through DBT and CBT group and individual sessions. Patients learn skills to help address thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are being driven by an unhealthy response to trauma. Patients receive support to regain a sense of self-worth and to use their agency to affect change in their lives so they feel less powerless.
About Skyland Trail:
Located in Atlanta, the Skyland Trail residential adolescent treatment program treats teens aged 14 to 17 with a primary mood, anxiety, or trauma-related disorder. Structured weekly schedules are anchored by core CBT skills or DBT skills groups, depending on a client’s diagnoses and symptoms. Additional therapeutic activities throughout the week include individual sessions with a staff psychiatric provider, one-on-one therapy, ecological systems theory groups, and family therapy. Clients also participate in at least 2.5 hours of academic support each weekday year-long. Other therapeutic activities include art, music, fitness, and horticultural activities, as well as recreational therapy and wellness education from a physician and dietician. Learn more at www.skylandtrail.org.
