Qualitative Study on the Perception of Changes in the Psychotherapy of Traumatized Young People

The clinic of psychological trauma in adolescents still requires further development, whereas it is well documented in adults. This clinic is complex, because it must take into account the nature and type of trauma (recent or not, intentional or not, situations of abuse or sexual violence, etc.), the impact on development, the contexts (social, cultural and family) in which the trauma occurs, and the various vulnerability factors associated with it. This complexity has implications for psychotherapeutic management, which needs to be tailored to the specific clinical profiles of adolescents.

Several studies have evaluated psychotherapy for traumatized adolescents, showing a positive short-term effect on the reduction of post-traumatic stress symptoms, whatever the type of psychotherapy. Few studies, however, have analyzed the therapeutic process and the common factors of change, linked mainly to the therapeutic alliance, the patient's experience and the therapist's role: key factors of change according to the international literature. In this context, the patient's experience of his or her psychotherapeutic follow-up is a source of information that has long been neglected, even though it seems essential for better investigating and understanding the complexity of the processes at play in trauma psychotherapy.