Wondering what residential treatment for trauma looks like? While every center offering trauma-informed care is unique, here is a peek inside what a day might consist of. By addressing trauma from all angles, this program helps clients reprocess pain, restore balance, and reclaim their lives.
Life in a residential treatment center can be a rich experience with a wide variety of possible activities, depending on the facility. Residential trauma treatment programs provide a structured, supportive environment for individuals recovering from PTSD, childhood trauma, abuse, and other psychological wounds.
The Healing Journey
Here’s a glimpse into a typical day in such a program, where healing happens through therapy, community, and self-discovery.
Each program is unique, but the core elements of safety, structure, and support are the anchors. While recovery is also unique to each person, in a residential environment you have the opportunity to rebuild trust in yourself and in others—one day at a time.
Morning: Starting the Day with Structure and Support
7:00 AM – Morning Wake-Up, Mindfulness, and Journaling
A gentle wake-up call begins your day. And starting with 15 minutes of mindfulness gratitude meditation, deep breathing or gentle stretching prepares your mind and body for the day in a positive way. It’s helpful to do some journaling for 15 to 30 minutes to capture what you are feeling and thinking—either writing, painting or whatever form of expression you prefer.
8:00 AM – Breakfast and Community Time
Healthy nutrition is key for recovery. Eating a breakfast with healthy proteins, whole grains, and some fruit provides you with balanced foods to start the day. Avoid too much coffee, tea, or sugar as they can be dysregulating.
And conversation at table builds community and rapport with your peers, essential for emotional growth and to realize you’re not starting your day alone.
9:00 AM – Group Therapy Session
The day’s recovery work often begins in group with psychoeducation about mental health and trauma, or process groups where you work with others. Topics may include:
- Learning about trauma’s impact on the brain and body.
- Understanding triggers and coping strategies.
- Sharing with your peers in a safe, moderated space.
11:00 AM – Individual Therapy Option
This is an opportunity to meet weekly one-on-one with your primary trauma-informed therapist. In this session you can explore your personal trauma history, clarify goals for recovery, and work through deep emotional wounds. The therapist may use a variety of evidence-based therapies summarized below.
11:00 Gym, Exercise, or Movement Work Option
Getting your blood flowing and body moving is a core part of your healing journey. Trauma-informed movement techniques can include stretching, body work, and dance.
12:00 PM – Lunch and Personal Time
Coming together at lunch can be the best part of the day. Conversations with other residents about the morning activities or other topics of interest can be material for reflection. And shared stories can be humorous, lightening the tone. After lunch, there is time for journaling, walking in nature, or rest to process the morning’s work.
Afternoon: Intensive Trauma Therapy Sessions
1:00 PM – Individual Trauma-Informed Therapy
A variety of therapy approaches may be used, as described below, to help you process trauma-related experiences.
1:45 PM – Experiential Therapies
This can involve alternative healing approaches that engage other faculties, such as:
- Art or Music Therapy: Expressing emotions non-verbally.
- Yoga or Trauma-Sensitive Movement: Helps to reconnect with your body.
- Equine Therapy: Developing trust and emotional awareness with horses.
- Forest Bathing: Immerse in nature to rejuvenate and heal.
3:00 PM – Reflection or Juice Bar
- Reflect on material explored in the day.
- Hang at the Juice Bar to socialize with peers.
3:30 PM – Skills-Based Trauma Workshops
Practical tools for managing trauma symptoms, such as:
- DBT Skills – Emotion regulation, distress tolerance.
- Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques.
- Healthy Relationship Building.
5:00 PM – Journaling and Personal Trauma Work
- Reflection activities assigned in individual or group therapy.
- Writing in your journal.
- Meditation.
- Rest and relax.
Evening: Time Together
6:00 PM – Dinner and Social Time
With nutritious family-style meals everyone comes together bringing the day’s energy to the table to relax in the good company of peers. Story-telling and shared laughter can make dinner a favourite time of day to simply enjoy while practicing interpersonal skills.
6:45 PM – Evening Process Group, Reflection and Community Connection
Evening can be a challenging time for residents, bringing feelings of loneliness and loss. In the process group residents reflect on the day’s progress, followed by relaxation techniques and talking with peers:
- Guided imagery.
- Progressive muscle relaxation.
- Journaling.
- Healing Drum Circle.
- Movies on relevant topics.
- Informal socializing with peers.
9:00 PM – Personal Time and Wind-Down
- Residents prepare to sleep. Limited screen time to enhance rest.
- Journaling or painting.
- Therapists offer support for those struggling with nightmares or insomnia.
10:00 PM – Lights Out
A structured sleep schedule helps regulate the nervous system, a key part of trauma recovery.
Specialized Therapies in Trauma Treatment
There are many types of therapy used in trauma-informed work, including:
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy): Uses bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps) to help reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional charge and promoting adaptive resolution.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Focuses on identifying and restructuring negative thought patterns and behaviors related to trauma, helping clients develop healthier coping strategies.
- SE (Somatic Experiencing): A body-centered approach that releases trapped trauma energy by tracking physical sensations and completing interrupted survival responses.
- DBT: (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy): Combines CBT with mindfulness, teaching distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to manage trauma-related emotional dysregulation.
- ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) : A rapid eye movement therapy that reprograms traumatic memories by replacing distressing images with positive ones, often in fewer sessions.
- CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy): Helps trauma survivors challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs about their trauma (e.g., self-blame) through structured cognitive restructuring.
- IFS (Internal Family Systems): Views the mind as composed of “parts” (exiles, managers, firefighters) and helps heal trauma by fostering self-leadership and internal harmony.
- Brainspotting: Uses eye positions (“brainspots”) to access and process deep trauma stored in subcortical brain areas, facilitating emotional release and integration.
Why This Program Works for Healing Trauma
This program integrates evidence-based, trauma-informed therapies that address trauma on multiple levels—mind, body, and nervous system—ensuring deep, lasting healing.
- Science-Backed Methods: Uses proven therapies (EMDR, CPT, Somatic Experiencing) that rewire traumatic memories, regulate emotions, and release stored stress from the body.
- Holistic Approach: Combines cognitive, emotional, and somatic techniques, recognizing trauma isn’t just “in the head” but also in the body’s responses.
- Safety & Empowerment: Prioritizes emotional safety, choice, and control, helping clients rebuild trust in themselves and their bodies.
- Personalized Healing: Adapts to individual needs, whether through IFS parts work, DBT skills, or Brainspotting, ensuring no one-size-fits-all solution.
- Efficient and Lasting Change: Some methods (ART, EMDR) work quickly, while others (CBT, CPT) build long-term resilience—balancing immediate relief with sustainable growth.
By addressing trauma from all angles, this program helps clients reprocess pain, restore balance, and reclaim their lives.
Beginning Your Recovery Journey In Utah
Treatment for mental health conditions and trauma is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from anxiety, trauma, PTSD, other mental health conditions, or addictions? Our licensed trauma-informed professional therapists and counselors at Corner Canyon Health Centers can provide compassionate help using a range of therapeutic and holistic techniques.
Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
