Trauma education, often referred to in the treatment literature as psychoeducation, offers information on the nature and course of posttraumatic stress reactions, affirms that they are understandable and [Page 710]expectable, identifies and helps with ways to cope with trauma reminders, and discusses ways to manage distress. In short, as defined by Simon Wessely and colleagues, psychoeducation provides “information about the nature of stress, posttraumatic and other symptoms, and what to do about them” (Wessely et al., 2008, p. 287).

Trauma education is given under various circumstances. First, it is provided to high-risk groups such as firefighters or military personnel before their anticipated exposure to potentially traumatic events. Second, it is offered in the immediate aftermath of individual or large-scale, collective trauma, such as in the context ...