Mary Jo Barrett & Linda Stone Fish • Friday All Day
Trauma-informed clinicians now distinguish between PTSD as a reaction to a single traumatic event and complex trauma as a deeper, more pervasive condition rooted in a childhood history of extensive abuse and neglect. In this workshop, we’ll discuss a practical, 3-stage model for gathering information, structuring treatment, and matching interventions to a client’s specific needs. You’ll learn how to create a sense of safety, assess the client’s condition, set goals, and work with denial in Stage 1; create new pathways of communication, feeling, and thinking in Stage 2; and consolidate treatment while preventing relapse in Stage 3. We’ll review if, when, and how to integrate other approaches like EMDR, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, CBT, and couples work. We’ll pay particular attention to the importance of creating a culture of collaboration and reassurance in the consulting room, to safeguard against any unintentional re-traumatization. (This session will continue with Workshop 317.)
Mary Jo Barrett, M.S.W., the founder and director of the Center for Contextual Change, teaches at the University of Chicago. She’s the coauthor of Systemic Treatment of Incest.
Linda Stone Fish, M.S.W., Ph.D., the David B. Falk Endowed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University, is the author of Nurturing Queer Youth.