Overview of diagnosis and treatment of psychological trauma in children

The extent of children's exposure to psychological trauma is only now being recognized. The concept of trauma has been in use since the earliest concepts developed by Freud, but there has been limited effort to define the term with consistency. This article provides a comprehensive definition of the term and offers guidance to practitioners who are increasingly being required to treat traumatized children. Key therapy considerations are organized around the role of dissociation and repetition compulsion in trauma. The author presents specific treatment concepts in connection with aloneness of trauma experience, dream and nightmare reactions, use of animals in treatment, parent#shchild intervention, and external influences.