How Can I Find a San Diego Psychiatrist Who Specializes in Trauma Treatment?

Summary: To find a San Diego psychiatrist who specializes in trauma treatment, you need to look for a treatment center with a psychiatrist trained in the latest techniques in trauma-informed care.

Key Points:

• People with mental health or emotional challenges related to trauma need a psychiatrist or provider who understands trauma and its consequences.
• The first goal of a psychiatrist who specializes in trauma treatment is to avoid retraumatizing you.
• Experts have adapted several forms of psychotherapy specifically to avoid retraumatizing people with a history of trauma.

How Do I Know If a Psychiatrist Can Handle a Patient with a History of Trauma?

The first thing to do is get online and search for mental health providers in your area. Or, if you’re comfortable asking, inquire with friends or relatives who may know. A referral from person with direct experience with a specific provider is the best resource, especially if they’re someone you know and trust. Since they have your best interests in mind, they’ll give you an honest opinion and share facts and details you won’t find in a public, online review format.

With the results of your online search and referrals from trusted friends or family members, make a list of treatment centers or providers to call or email. We encourage you to use the phone: it’s easier to get a read on a person and a place through direct contact. However, if you’re uneasy talking on the phone, email will work just fine.

Here’s what to ask:

Do you have a psychiatrist on staff who specializes in trauma treatment?

Do you have counselors or clinical psychologists on staff who specialize in trauma treatment?

What are their qualifications?

Did they train in trauma-informed care?

Can you tell me a little bit about how you (or the clinicians at your treatment center) support people with a history of trauma?

What’s your overall treatment philosophy?

Answers to those questions should give you a good idea as to whether you’re on the right track. It’s reasonable for you to expect that the admissions staff on the phone lines have the institutional knowledge to answer every question above, or have a good answer for you in a very short time, like a minute or two.

If they don’t and/or can’t answer your questions, consider moving on to the next prospect on your list. If they answer those questions to your satisfaction, follow up specific questions about their primary trauma-informed treatment modalities.

Ask this:

Are any of you psychiatrists, therapists, or counselors trained in:

…trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)?

…trauma-focused dialectical behavior therapy (TF-DBT)?

…eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR)?

…prolonged exposure therapy (PE)?

…cognitive processing therapy (CPT)?

A treatment center or psychiatrist who specializes in trauma treatment should have experience in at least one of the modalities above. If they don’t, or the person on the phone hasn’t heard of any of those modalities, we encourage you to move to the next prospect on your list.

When Seeking a San Diego Psychiatrist Who Specializes in Trauma, Trust Your Instincts

Mental health experts recognize that a positive treatment alliance – i.e. a good relationship with your therapist/psychiatrist – is a core component of successful mental health treatment. Therefore, a good step to take, after calling and/or emailing to ensure your prospects meet the basic criteria for trauma-informed care, is to meet any potential psychiatrist or therapist in person.

You can arrange a full psychiatric evaluation or arrange a visit to get a feel for the location and the staff. You can also ask about any auxiliary or complementary support they offer, such as exercise, meditation, stress management, or peer support groups.

At that point, you should have enough information to make a decision. Remember: the right support is out there for you, and you can find it. Be patient, be diligent, and have hope.

Call us at Crownview Medical – we can help.

Angus Whyte

Angus Whyte has an extensive background in neuroscience, behavioral health, adolescent development, and mindfulness, including lab work in behavioral neurobiology and a decade of writing articles on mental health and mental health treatment. In addition, Angus brings twenty years of experience as a yoga teacher and experiential educator to his work for Crownview. He’s an expert at synthesizing complex concepts into accessible content that helps patients, providers, and families understand the nuances of mental health treatment, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes and quality of life for all stakeholders.