Rachel Saffer (she/her/hers) earned her Masters of Social Work from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Starting as an office volunteer at Austin Grief, Rachel quickly grew to be an integral part of our team.
Rachel has experience in providing counseling to adults, teenagers and children who have experienced significant trauma in both group and individual settings. Rachel utilizes various interventions in her practice including therapeutic yoga, EMDR, and traditional play therapy. She believes in providing every client with a welcoming and safe environment so that they can work towards healing on their own terms.
TRAUMA VS GRIEF
Trauma is what happens in the brain when an individual experiences something which takes them beyond their normal emotional coping capacity. Following such an experience the individual may have such symptoms as extreme anxiety, flashbacks that interrupt normal day-to-day functioning, and avoidance of things that connect with the difficult memory.
For example, a person might totally avoid riding in a car after a car accident or drive miles out of the way to avoid the intersection where the accident symptoms are generally characteristic of trauma. Trauma specific treatment is important so that the individual can move beyond the way in which the brain has “stored” this experience. Additionally, until trauma is addressed the individual will not be able to process grief issues related to the event. Trauma overrides grief and prevents any real movement in the grief process.
Copyright 2012 The Austin Center for Grief & Loss