Trauma knows no bounds — it impacts disaster victims of all ages and affects the community as a whole
Longtime Malibuites are painfully aware of how traumatizing it is to suffer a wildfire loss. Loss of one’s home. Loss of some people’s businesses. Loss of our community as we once knew it. Loss of control over one’s schedule and routines.
“A fire takes a physical and mental toll on those who are victims. It’s an acute trauma experience as one goes through the steps of a catastrophic loss,” said Diane Moss, a Woolsey Fire victim from Malibu, at a Feb. 15 gathering of citizens seeking information concerning how to decide whether to rebuild and if so, how to navigate through claims processes with insurance companies, how to make informed decisions concerning debris removal and rebuilding and how to deal with the several stages of the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County permitting processes. “One experiences grief and dysregulation and seems to be stuck in a fog, not knowing what to do next.”
As Moss spoke, several attendees nodded their heads in agreement. “For our family, we had a motto, “We can go through hard times without being hard on one another.” Moss said.
So, how does one know whether and when to seek professional mental health counseling for themselves? What are the signs that manifest such intervention would help a person? Even more complicated, how does a parent decide whether to seek counseling for their adolescents and younger children with regard to dealing with their emotions and frustrations? As most readers know, adolescents are inherently subject to emotional ups and downs — it’s simply a function of their development. However, when suffering a trauma, counseling intervention can help them process all that they are going through.
The Malibu Times caught up with Dr. Melanie Argo, a Malibu clinical therapist and somatic experience practitioner, who specializes in youth mental health therapy.
“With regard to signs that an adolescent might need help, if a teenager shuts down and stops communicating, including his friends and focuses inward in a manner that he hasn’t done before, parents should consider suggesting he get some counseling,” Argo commented. “However, they should not force a teenager to get services.”
Agan explained that she utilizes a polyvagal approach, meaning that she assesses a client’s nervous system patterns when providing counseling so as to determine how his autonomic nervous system relates to emotions and behaviors.
“We have all heard that when a person is under stress he has a fight, flight, or freeze response and the concern is that one can get stuck in a “freeze” response to stress and can get stuck in a shut-down state when he withdraws. Therapy can help a teen who is stuck in such a “freeze” state.
With regard to younger children, if they withdraw because they are scared or stressed, play therapy can help them to open up and express themselves.
“The use of sand tray therapy which provides a younger child with figurines in a container of sand helps them to express what they are feeling,” Argo explained. “It encourages children to process their trauma in a safe space.”
Some resources for mental health services
Readers have several resources available as they consider mental health counseling and support. Those include:
Malibu Boys & Girls Club’s Disaster Relief Center, which provides no-cost trauma-informed crisis counseling services for youth, families, and the community at large.
To explore getting mental health support and services, call (310) 457-6801, extension 74141, or email wellnessinfo@bgcmalibu.org.
The Los Angeles Department of Mental Health, which provides referrals for counseling, grieving, coping, crisis intervention or triage. Call (800) 854-771 or 988, 24/7 or review the Department’s website at dmh.lacounty.gov.
The Disaster Recovery Center at UCLA Research Park West, 10850 West Pico Blvd. provides crisis counseling. The Center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.
