What You'll Learn...
Part I: Complex-PTSD (C-PTSD) Clinical Treatment
Learn the nuances of working with complex trauma when it comes to diagnosis, assessment, neurobiology, treatment planning, client preparation for therapy – and everything else you need to get your clients ready from their first session. Then move into hands-on practice of interventions that target the most challenging symptoms. Lastly, you'll walk away with skills to help cultivate post-traumatic growth in your clients and self-care resources to keep you and your practice thriving!
Assessment & Diagnosis
- Hallmark must-know symptoms
- Diagnostic clarification and differential diagnosis
- Key contributing factors of C-PTSD
Neurobiology of C-PTSD
- Functional Polyvagal Theory
- 6 Stages of trauma response
- Heart Rate Variability and the Social Nervous System
- Utilizing Interpersonal Neurobiology
- Psychobiological regulation
- Implications of ACES
- Neuroplasticity & Trauma
The Damage of C-PTSD
- Intrusive symptoms and anxiety
- Counter emotional dysregulation
- Avoidance symptoms and phobic reactions
- Recover clients from dissociation
- Dispute cognitive distortions
- Link to physical health & somatic problems
- Deactivate preverbal and nonverbal memories
- Resolve shame-driven pain
Interventions From the Most Effective Approaches
- Psychodynamic and Relational Theories
- Polyvagal Theory
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- EMDR
- Somatic Psychology
- Parts Work
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Best Integrative Interventions
- Use a biopsychosocial approach
- Recognize attachment injuries
- Facilitate the healing of transgenerational trauma
- Identify parts, ego states & defenses
- Mutual regulation and relational repair
- Prepare for trauma processing
- Integrate grief work into treatment
- Make long-lasting positive change
Best Experiential Interventions
- Conscious breathing for self-regulation
- Grounding and sensory awareness
- Containment: Reclaim choice & control
- Build imaginal allies
- Cultivate mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion
- Somatic interventions: Titration, sequencing, and somatic re-patterning
- Bilateral stimulation and dual attention
Create Post-Traumatic Growth
- The 6 Pillars of Resilience
- Resilience as a process and outcome
- Move clients from learned helplessness to optimism
- Encourage Post-Traumatic Growth
Self-Care for Improved Outcomes
- Identify resources that improve your clinical skills
- In-session self-care to improve focus
- Burnout prevention techniques
Part II: EMDR and Parts Work for Trauma
Take your skill set to the next level by learning specific techniques to work with dissociation, fragmentation, somatic problems and other complex client presentations. These advanced skills help you more successfully access deeply rooted pain points, internal conflicts, and traumatized client parts by integrating EMDR and Parts Work into approaches you're already using.
Neurobiology of PTSD
- Nuances of stress, trauma, and complex PTSD
- Impact of dissociation
- Interpersonal neurobiology, somatic psychology, and social engagement
- Polyvagal theory
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Skills: Spacious, Relational Awareness & Co-Regulation
Assessment and Case Conceptualization
- Identify chronic, repeated, developmental, and sociocultural trauma
- Overcoming betrayal trauma
- Assess for dissociation ("fragmentation")
- How parts, ego states and defenses create walls to change
- Compassionate strategies for "Resistant" clients
- Move from shame to empowerment
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Skills: Understand emotional dysregulation as a 'part,' connect to the adult self, differentiating from a part
Modified EMDR and Parts Work for Complex PTSD
- The 8 phases of EMDR therapy
- Neural networks and “encapsulated” ego states
- Bilateral stimulation and dual attention in EMDR therapy
- Modified EMDR therapy protocols
- Preparation for trauma reprocessing
- Cultivate mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion
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Skills: Choice and containment, build allies for a part of self, facilitate repair scenarios, reprocess a traumatic memory, positive state installation
Cultivate Post-Traumatic Growth and Healing
- Trauma recovery and the bell curve
- Resilience as a process and an outcome
- Move from learned helplessness to learned optimism
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Skills: Create your resilience recipe
Part III: CPT, Pharmacology & Advanced Dissociation Treatment
Round off your training and education with trauma-specific pharmacology from an Internal Family Systems perspective. Apply key strategies that make CPT work with every client. And get the new ideas for working with trauma-related dissociation.
The Keys Behind How Cognitive Processing Heals PTSD
- Apply the most effective elements of CPT
- Break myths about PTSD recovery & treatment
- Take the 3 keys that help clients overcome stuck points
A Therapist's Guide to the Pharmacology of Trauma and Dissociation
- Integrate new research on neurotransmitters, medications, and side effects
- Explore the complex relationship between hormones and PTSD
- Understand how and why atypical antipsychotics can help with dissociation and more!
Advances in Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation
- Break dissociative attachment cycles
- Identify and dismantle phobias that maintain trauma-related dissociation
- Use parts work to improve therapeutic relationships for client stability
