WAVELENGTHS PSYCHOLOGY
  • Home
  • Services
    • Neurofeedback
    • Psychological Assessment
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Therapy for Adults >
      • Women Focused
      • Work-Life Balance
      • Stay at home Moms
      • Stress and Burnout
      • Executive Burnout
    • Therapy for Teens >
      • Depression and Teens
      • Anxiety and Teens
    • Therapy for Children >
      • ADHD and Children
    • LGBTQ+
  • Providers
  • Groups
    • Sunshine and Stories Book Club
    • Motherhood Together Postpartum Support Group
    • Dungeons and Dragons Group
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Login
  • Employment Opportunities
    • Therapist Openings
    • Post-Doctoral Fellowship
    • Externships and Internships

Wavelengths Blog

The Impact of trauma on Executive functioning

3/5/2023

 
By Andrea Panebianco, MS
Picture
What is trauma? Trauma is a lasting emotional response that individuals experience once having lived through a distressing or painful event. While many people endure traumatic events, it is important to remember that the experience of trauma can significantly impact one’s ability to function in their everyday lives. This notion is particularly true for adults and children who have experienced prolonged trauma, including trauma related to pervasive racism, poverty, and other adversities.
           
So, with this, what is executive functioning? Executive functioning includes a multitude of mental processes that enable us to communicate, attend, focus, and multitask; it helps us remember and apply information, plan and achieve goals, and make healthy decisions for ourselves and others. Importantly, these types of skills are related to the physical development of our brains. Executive functioning, therefore, is a crucial element for maintaining academic, cognitive, social, and behavioral success throughout our lifetime.
           
How, then, does trauma impact someone’s executive functioning skills? 
People who experience significant trauma are more prone to difficulties with mental health. Trauma can actually physically alter the way our brain develops and our neural connectivity. These types of neurological disruptions may impact someone’s capacity to utilize executive functioning abilities, including attention, memory, mood, and self-regulation. Those who have experienced trauma may have overwhelmed their ability to cope with new obstacles, causing struggles with small, daily living activities which would usually be mediated by executive functioning abilities.
           
For these reasons, it is important to recognize that those who have experienced trauma may require care and support to overcome past and future obstacles. Utilizing community resources and creating strong support systems are crucial steps towards strength, stability, and social-emotional care. Similarly, there are therapeutic settings and interventions used to address trauma, including individual therapy or community support groups. It is important to remember that you don't have to go through this alone, and that your past does not dictate your future.  With help, you can heal and change.

Executive Function (N.D.). Administration for Children and Families. U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/trauma-toolkit/executive-function

​Lu. S., Pan. F., Gao, W., Wei, Z., Wang, D., Hu, S., Huang, M., Xu, Y., Li, L. (2017). Neural
correlates of childhood trauma with executive function in young healthy adults.
Oncotarget, 8(45), 79843-79853. 

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    October 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022

    Categories

    All
    ADHD
    Amanda Snizek
    Andrea Panebianco
    Anxiety
    Attention
    Body Mind
    Bryan Johnson
    Caroline Rudin
    Children
    Chonic Illness
    Dating
    Denise Wright
    Holidays
    Inspiration
    Janet Whyte
    Jayoti Chabra
    Jessica Satkunasingham
    Kayleigh Monahan
    Linda Montalbano
    Living Your Dreams
    Melissa Laks
    Melissa Marconi
    Mindfulness & Meditation
    Parenting
    Perinatal
    Postpartum
    Psychological Theory
    Rukiya Symister
    Self Care
    Sharon Grand
    Sleep
    Stress Management
    Technology
    Therapy
    Trauma
    Victoria Pitz

Learn more about the services we offer:

Counseling for anxiety in Garden City New York
Counseling for depression in Massapequa New York
Counseling for Stress Management in Massapequa New York
Therapy and counseling for adults in Garden City New York
Counseling for Executive Burnout in Garden City New York
Woman getting counseling at Wavelengths psychology in Massapequa
Picture
Therapy for stay at home mom with anxiety in Massapequa New York
Picture
Neurofeedback in Garden City New York
Therapy and counseling for teenagers in Massapequa New York
Teenager getting therapy for anxiety in Massapequa New York
Depression teenager getting counseling at Wavelengths Psychology in Massapequa
child therapy in massapequa new york
Children gettting counseling for ADHD in Massapequa New York

Wavelengths Psychology 

Good Faith Estimates
​

As of January 1, 2022,all healthcare providers are required to provide estimates for the cost of care for all clients not utilizing health insurance.  The Good Faith Estimate shows the cost of any items and services that are reasonably expected for your healthcare needs and treatment.  This will be provided by the office upon scheduling and/or as requested.  This Good Faith estimate does not include unexpected costs that could arise during treatment.  Learn more here.

Click here for our Notice of Privacy Practices
​

Information contained on this website is intended for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or diagnosis. Nothing on this site is intended nor should be taken as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other qualified healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for self-diagnosing yourself- treating any health problem or disease, or self-prescribing any medication or other treatment.

Instagram link for wavelengths psychology in massapequa
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • Services
    • Neurofeedback
    • Psychological Assessment
    • Anxiety
    • Depression
    • Therapy for Adults >
      • Women Focused
      • Work-Life Balance
      • Stay at home Moms
      • Stress and Burnout
      • Executive Burnout
    • Therapy for Teens >
      • Depression and Teens
      • Anxiety and Teens
    • Therapy for Children >
      • ADHD and Children
    • LGBTQ+
  • Providers
  • Groups
    • Sunshine and Stories Book Club
    • Motherhood Together Postpartum Support Group
    • Dungeons and Dragons Group
  • Contact Us
  • Staff Login
  • Employment Opportunities
    • Therapist Openings
    • Post-Doctoral Fellowship
    • Externships and Internships