ABSTRACT
This activity can be used with clients who need a foundation for healing from trauma in their lives. When psychotherapists hear clients express experiences of trauma, clients often describe feeling shattered or not whole. The proposed intervention helps clients describe which parts of their lives have been affected by a traumatic event (e.g., relationships, self-esteem, safety, a sense of connection and trust in the world) and understand how different parts of the Self were changed and challenged by the trauma. By creating a plaque representing the trauma, recovery, and a new sense of Self, this activity produces a tangible metaphor that clients may keep and refer to when other challenging or traumatic events in their lives cause them to question whether or not they can recover. For clients who have experienced trauma, yet do not perceive their lives as being shattered, this intervention may also work to encourage them to explore the effects of the trauma upon the Self.
