Interventions to treat families who have experienced historical trauma

In this chapter, the authors will examine Cambodian pre- and post-immigration history, culture and the psychological impact of historical trauma experienced by Cambodian refugees and the clinical implications of treating the traumatic stress. Globally, refugees are moving about the world in numbers that are unparalleled. As a result, the likelihood of U.S. based therapists encountering refugees and their families is increased regardless of their treatment settings. Cambodians are one community of refugees that are a growing part of the Asian-American population. Because family is the center of life for Cambodians, the authors stress that healing must occur within its multigenerational context. Biologically based mental health interventions have been utilized to successfully treat individuals who have experienced traumatic life events. The Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), developed by Miller-Karas & Leitch (2006), a modified version of somatic experiencing therapy Levine (1997) will be introduced as a treatment intervention. This mind-body treatment approach will address the physiological symptoms of traumatic stress and will be discussed as a method of clinical intervention. This therapeutic intervention's primary goal is to reduce and/or eliminate symptoms of distress and restore mind-body balance. TRM is a promising skills-based practice that is being proven to effectively treat traumatic stress in disenfranchised and " at-risk" populations.