| COPING
WITH TRAUMATIC LOSS -
THE TRAUMA COPING SCREENING INVENTORY
In reacting
to a traumatic experience as a survivor
or as a co-victim, how did you cope? Or,
if you were not a survivor or co-victim
but helped others, how did you cope (i.e.,
any secondary traumatization)? Read each
of the following characteristics and put
a check mark under “Yes” if
it applied to you and “No”
if it did not. The information is cited
from Pearlman and Saakvitne (1995), from
Rando (1988), from the DSM-IV-TR
(2000), from other books and research
articles, and from this certified school
psychologist’s professional experiences.
The workshop presenter also added some
characteristics to the partial and overlapping
lists (lists that are only guides and
are still evolving) as well as selected
and organized the information into the
following question format:
HOW
I COPED COGNITIVELY
Yes
__/ __No
o Changed
assumptions about the self & world
_________ _________
o Searching for meaning _________ _________
o Distrustful _________ _________
o Loss of safety _________ _________
o Lessened power or control _________
_________
o Loss of Independence _________ _________
o Impaired attention or concentration
_________ _________
o Changes in perception or thinking _________
_________
o Short or long-term memory changes _________
_________
o Impaired decision-making ability _________
_________
o Lessened problem-solving ability _________
_________
o Self-blame _________ _________
o Flashbacks _________ _________
o Nightmares or night terrors _________
_________
o Dissociation (“spacey” feeling)
_________ _________
o Lowered self-efficacy _________ _________
o Confusion _________ _________
o Worry _________ _________
o Experienced a threat of or a trauma
event _________ _________
o Witnessed a trauma _________ _________
o Learned about a trauma of a loved one
_________ _________
o Fear of reoccurrence of the trauma _________
_________
o Re-experiencing the traumatic event
_________ _________
o Other _________ _________
HOW
I COPED EMOTIONALLY
Yes
__/ __No
o Internalized the stress
(i.e., depression, despair) _________
_________
o Externalized the stress (i.e. aggression)_________
_________
o Fear and anxiety_________ _________
o Guilt_________ _________
o Blame_________ _________
o Anger _________ _________
o Sadness _________ _________
o Loss of faith._________ _________
o Decreased self-esteem_________ _________
o Illegitimate, legitimate and/or survivor
guilt _________ _________
o Separation pain, sorrow, and longin.
_________ _________
o Disorganization _________ _________
o Diminished self-concern_________ _________
o Obsession with the trauma_________ _________
o Sense of vulnerability _________ _________
o Identification. _________ _________
o Grief spasms _________ _________
o Shock_________ _________
o Terror ________ _________
o Irritability_________ _________
o Emotional numbing _________ _________
o Helplessness _________ _________
o Loss of interest in familiar activities
_________ _________
o Avoidance _________ _________
o Other _________ _________
HOW
I COPED SOCIALLY
(INTERPERSONALLY)
Yes
__/ __No
o Restlessness _________
_________
o Little or no interest in usual activities
_________ _________
o Lack of energy and motivation _________
_________
o Bored or impatient with others _________
_________
o Withdrawal from others _________ _________
o Blocked intimacy feelings _________
_________
o Decreased satisfaction _________ _________
o Preoccupied with one’s grief _________
_________
o Fearful about being alone _________
_________
o Related to others to avoid thinking
of the deceased _________ _________
o Distrustful of others _________ _________
o Increased relational conflict _________
_________
o Reduced relational intimacy _________
_________
o Alienation _________ _________
o Impaired work performance _________
_________
o Impaired school performance _________
_________
o Blaming others _________ _________
o Other _________ _________
HOW I COPED PHYSICALLY
Yes
__/ __No
o Fought, fled, or froze
_________ _________
o Fatigue, exhaustion _________ _________
o Apathy _________ _________
o Lethargy _________ _________
o Sleep difficulties _________ _________
o Tearfulness and crying _________ _________
o Weight loss or weight gain _________
_________
o Teeth grinding _________ _________
o Nail-biting _________ _________
o Feeling that something was stuck in
your throat _________ _________
o Heart palpitations, trembling, shaking
_________ _________
o Shortness of breath _________ _________
o Dizziness _________ _________
o Unsteady feelings _________ _________
o Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort
_________ _________
o Headaches _________ _________
o Exaggerated startle response _________
_________
o Persistent distressful dreams _________
_________
o Hyperarousal _________ _________
o Persistent distressful dreams _________
_________
o Nightmares or night terrors _________
_________
o Exaggerated startle response _________
_________
o Reduced immune response _________ _________
o Numbing of responsiveness _________
_________
o Vulnerability to illness _________ _________
o Other _________ _________
HOW
I COPED BEHAVIORALLY
Yes_ _/ __No
o Avoidance _________
_________
o Social Withdrawal _________ _________
o Decreased intimacy and lowered trust
in others _________ _________
o Aggression _________ _________
o Substance use, dependence, or abuse
_________ _________
o Regression _________ _________
o Diminished interests _________ _________
o Dysfunctional behavior _________ _________
o Eating less or more _________ _________
o Sleep problems _________ _________
o Behavioral change _________ _________
o Other _________ _________
HOW
I COPED SPIRITUALLY
Yes
__/ __No
o With no spiritual support
_________ _________
o God had nothing to do with it _________
_________
o Lost faith in religion _________ _________
o Angry at God or other deity or religion
founder _________ _________
o Blamed God or other deity or religion
founder _________ _________
o God will be with me no matter what happens
_________ _________
o With Psalm 23, “The Lord Is My
Shepard”
o With “The Serenity Prayer”
_________ _________
o God never allows anything to happen
that is more
than I can handle _________ _________
o God loves me. He has given me this “cross
to
bear for him” _________ _________
o God works in a mysterious way. The trauma
is a
blessing in disguise _________ _________
o I believe the trauma was sent by God
but
I don’t know what the purpose was
_________ _________
o God is testing me
o The trauma was given to me as a punishment
for
something I did _________ _________
SUMMARY MY COPING STYLES:
DIRECTIONS: Return to each
of the six areas and list your coping
mechanisms under each appropriate title.
Once you complete that, you will gain
more insight into your trauma coping style(s)
and into any needed changes for the present
and for the future.
o MY COGNITIVE
COPING STYLE
o MY EMOTIONAL
COPING STYLE
o MY SOCIAL (INTERPERSONAL)
COPING STYLE
o MY PHYSICAL
COPING STYLE
o MY BEHAVIORAL
COPING STYLE
o MY SPIRITUAL
COPING STYLE
INNER
AND OUTER COPING RESOURCES -
THE TRAUMA COPING RESOURCES’ SCREENING
INVENTORY
In reacting
to a traumatic experience as a survivor
or as a co-victim, how did you use resources
to cope? Or if you were not a survivor
or co-victim but helped others, how did
you use strategies to cope? Read each
of the following resources and respond
in two ways: (1) First, insert a check
mark under “Yes”
if the resource were a support for you,
and “No”
if it were not and continue until the
six categories are completed; and (2)
then, return to the beginning, and put
a check mark under “Future”
next to each specific resource(s) that
you hope to use in the future. The enclosed
information is cited from Rothschild (2000),
from Drescher & Foy (1995), from the
American College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (retrieved February 2003), from
other books and research articles, and
from this certified school psychologist’s
professional experiences. Also, the workshop
presenter added some strategies to the
partial and overlapping lists (lists
that are only guides and still evolving)
as well as selected and organized the
information into the following format:
Yes
_/ __No _/ _Future
o Functional/practical
resources
shelter ______ ______ ______
food/nourishment ______ ______ ______
water ______ ______ ______
clothing ______ ______ ______
sleep ______ ______ ______
communication with loved ones ______ ______
______
o Physical
resources
health ______ ______ ______
physical strength and agility ______ ______
______
exercise ______ ______ ______
body awareness ______ ______ ______
somatic memory ______ ______ ______
body psychotherapy ______ ______ ______
medication ______ ______ ______
o Psychological
resources
high, intelligence ______ ______ ______
sense of humor ______ ______ ______
curiosity ______ ______ ______
creativity ______ ______ ______
resiliency ______ ______ ______
relief at surviving the tragedy ______
______ ______
greater self-worth ______ ______ ______
changes in viewing the future ______ ______
______
feelings of ‘growing’ from
the experience ______ ______ ______
dual awareness ______ ______ ______
“telling your story” ______
______ ______
calming images (attentive oasis activities
such as a new hobby) ______ ______ ______
concrete anchors such as a person, animal,
safe place, object, or activity ______
______ ______
verbal psychotherapy ______ ______ ______
debriefings ______ ______ ______
active coping style ______ ______ ______
mental health ______ ______ ______
good self-regulation of emotion ______
______ ______
appealing and sociable ______ ______ ______
positive self-efficacy ______ ______ ______
positive self-confidence ______ ______
______
positive self-esteem ______ ______ ______
internal locus of control ______ ______
______
task-oriented ______ ______ ______
o Interpersonal
(social) resources
spouse or partner ______ ______ ______
living with family member ______ ______
______
extended family relations/guidance ______
______ ______
connections with other family members
friends, pets ______ ______ ______
recollections of significant people from
the past ______ ______ ______
making contact with love ones ______ ______
______
access to positive role models ______
______ ______
connection with pro-social institutions
______ ______ ______
altruism (helping and comforting others)
______ ______ ______
participating in cultural beliefs and
rituals ______ ______ ______
o Spiritual
resources
belief in a higher power ______ ______
______
following a religious figure ______ ______
______
adherence to religious practice ______
______ ______
regaining a sense of faith, hope, purpose
and meaning ______ ______ ______
spiritual autobiographies ______ ______
______
meditation ______ ______ ______
prayer ______ ______ ______
guided imagery ______ ______ ______
yoga ______ ______ ______
involvement in religious rituals ______
______ ______
mind-body disciplines ______ ______ ______
service to others ______ ______ ______
community spirit ______ ______ ______
communing with nature ______ ______ ______
discussion of the key theological and
existential issues ______ ______ ______
reading spiritual literature, i.e. Bible
______ ______ ______
joining others in a “spiritual fellowship”
______ ______ ______
forgiving self and others ______ ______
______
o Other resources
______ ______
______
______ ______ ______
______ ______ ______
______ ______ ______
______ _____ ______
______ ______ ______
SUMMARY OF
MY COPING RESOURCES:
DIRECTIONS: Return to each
of the six areas and list your coping
mechanisms under each appropriate title.
Once you complete that, you will gain
more insight into your trauma coping resources
and into any needed changes for the present
and for the future.
o MY FUNCTIONAL/PRACTICAL
RESOURCES
o MY PHYSICAL
RESOURCES
o MY PSYCHOLOGICAL
RESOURCES
o MY INTERPERSONAL
SOCIAL RESOURCES
o MY SPIRITUAL
RESOURCES
o MY OTHER
RESOURCES
NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS’
CONVENTION
Atlanta, Georgia
March 30, 2005
The
“Trauma Coping Inventory”
and
The “Trauma Coping Resource Inventory”
by Michael
R. Tramonte, Ed.D., NCSP
Associate Professor in Education
Rivier College
Nashua, New Hampshire 03060
(603) 897-8487 (Direct)
(603) 888-1311 #8487 (Switchboard)
e-mail (mtramonte@rivier.edu)
fax-(603) 897-8887
and
Adjunct
Instructor in Psychology
Middlesex Community College
Bedford, Massachusetts 01730
and
Retired
School Psychologist
Lowell Public Schools
Lowell, Massachusetts 01852
REFERENCES
The American
College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine Web site (retrieved
February 26, 2003). Coping with trauma.
http://www.acoem.org
American
Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C:
American Psychiatric Association.
Drescher,
K. D. & Foy, D. W. (1995). NCP
Clinical Quarterly 5 (1)
Pearlman,
L. A. and Saakvitne, K. W. (1995). Trauma
and the therapist:
Countertransference and vicarious traumatization
in psychotherapy with incest
survivors. New York: W. W. Norton.
Rando, T.
A. (1988). How to go on living when
someone you love dies. New York:
Bantam.
Rothschild,
B. (2000). The body remembers: The
psychobiology of trauma and trauma
treatment. New York: W. W. Norton.
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