Trauma encompasses a multitude of issues including, but not limited to, physical, sexual, emotional, and environmental abuse. The impact of trauma upon later violent behavior have however, only recently begun to be addressed. Trauma and abuse are widely accepted to be life altering experiences, however connecting such experiences to later violent behavior can be problematic. The experiences, which at one point would have invoked sympathy, are pushed aside as unconnected to the behavior exhibited. There remains a denial of both the element of causation and the construct of violent crime in relation to earlier traumatic or abusive experiences.

Trauma counseling is a specific area of therapy that helps individuals cope with and manage their feelings of grief and sadness following a life-altering event. This can include the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of home, or any other extreme life events that cause severe grief and possible depression.

• National Center for PTSD
• Released from Shame: Moving Beyond the Pain of the Past
• National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline