Volume_4_Issue_3_Digest

TPC D igest 47 Laura K. Jones, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Jenny L. Cureton, NCC, is a doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado. Correspondence can be addressed to Laura K. Jones, University of Northern Colorado, Department of Applied Psychology and Counselor Education, Box 131, Greeley, CO 80639, laura.jones@unco.edu . N early 80% of clients seen in community mental health clinics have experienced at least one incident of trauma during their lifetime, representing roughly five out of every six clients. Over the past 15 years, between increases in school and community violence in the United States and unrelenting wars overseas, overt exposure to traumatic events in our society has become an epidemic. Such events affect individuals across the lifespan and precipitate numerous diagnoses within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM ), most notably post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Survivors of trauma are a unique population of clients whose treatment requires specialized knowledge and multifaceted considerations from counselors. Furthermore, nearly three- quarters of practicing therapists report wanting additional support and education for their trauma work. Authors and trauma theorists agree that, with the exception of dissociative identity disorder, no other diagnostic condition in the history of the DSM has created more controversy about boundaries of the condition, symptomatological profile, central assumptions, clinical utility and prevalence than PTSD. The highly debated and variable definition of trauma and related PTSD diagnostic criteria may contribute to low counselor efficacy in trauma practice. The DSM-5 contains substantial changes from the DSM-IV-TR , including the addition of Trauma- and Stressor-related Disorders , a new category distinct from Anxiety Disorders ; the restructuring of PTSD diagnostic criteria; the modification of PTSD symptoms and specifiers; and the addition of a new subtype of PTSD in children. Without a clear understanding of the requirements Trauma Redefined in the DSM-5 : Rationale and Implications for Counseling Practice – DIGEST Laura K. Jones Jenny L. Cureton