Clinical Topics & Methods Category

Helping Challenging Trauma Clients to Open Up: What Have We Learned

1.5 CE Hour
58 members have taken this course

This course has been retired. We regularly update our course catalog to ensure relevance.

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About the Course

When people live through interpersonal trauma, there is a tendency for many to stay silent about their experiences. Reasons can include loyalty to close others, or the wish to keep family secrets. As a means of protecting others and themselves from the pain of traumatic experiences, many rely on a variety of coping strategies to neutralize or cut off painful memories. For example, some may rationalize away traumatic events, use intellectualization as a defense, or dissociate and keep trauma-related feelings at bay. But silence about the painful past is both emotionally costly, and ultimately unsustainable. How can clinicians help these clients feel safe enough to start opening up about their traumatic histories? In this presentation, trauma expert Robert T. Muller, PhD, will look at the process of helping challenging trauma clients open up in a safe, measured way. Through the lens of attachment theory, using a relational, integrative approach, Dr. Muller draws on theory and uses case examples and segments from his own treatment sessions. This web conference focuses on clinical skills that are directly applicable in a therapy practice.

This course is based on the recorded webinar, Helping Challenging Trauma Clients to Open Up: What Have We Learned created by Robert T Muller, PhD in 2020.

Publication Details

Publication Date: Sep 2020

Course Material Author

Robert T Muller, PhD
Robert T. Muller, Ph.D. trained at Harvard, was on faculty at the University of Massachusetts, and is currently at York University in Toronto. Dr. Muller is a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD) for his work on trauma treatment. His most recent book, "Trauma & the Struggle to Open Up" was awarded the 2019 ISSTD written media award. And his award-winning bestseller, "Trauma & the Avoidant Client" has been translated widely. As lead investigator on several multi-site programs to treat interpersonal trauma, Dr. Muller has lectured internationally (Australia, UK, Europe, USA), and has been keynote speaker at mental health conferences in New Zealand and Canada. He founded an online magazine, "The Trauma & Mental Health Report," that is now visited by over 100,000 readers a year. With over 25 years in the field, he practices in Toronto.

Robert T Muller, PhD authored the material only, and was not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Course Creator

Sandi Cardaman

Sandi Cardaman has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for more than 15 years. She has worked with eating disorders, domestic violence and clients who are working with the dependency system.

Target Audience

This course is recommended for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapist and counselors who work with trauma survivors. It is appropriate for all levels of participants’ knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Create safety in the therapeutic relationship early on.
  2. 2 Recognize client ambivalence about their trauma stories.
  3. 3 Describe how to help people in therapy pace the process of opening up.
  4. 4 Recognize therapist feelings in the treatment (e.g., the wish to rush into trauma work, or the wish to avoid it).
  5. 5 Recognize & use client transference as it relates to opening up about trauma.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Course Creator

Sandi Cardaman – None to report.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

$58.50

Course Details

1.5 CE Hours
Recorded Webinar
Course 102916

Availability

This course is retired. It is no longer available.

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