Things I Wish I Had Been Told About Working With Complex Trauma and Dissociation

Many of us entered the field of complex trauma and dissociation with a notion that helping our clients get better meant resolving traumatic memories. While this is true for most clients, it is far from being sufficient to support both therapists and clients through the challenges of complex treatment. There is little preparation to help therapists understand and cope with the intense emotions that arise in themselves, the overwhelming urges to act and do something to relieve the suffering of a client; the frustrations and impasses; the need to hold intolerable knowing and feeling; the resistances and defenses of the client; the aggression and entitlement of some clients; and vicarious traumatization and burnout. We will explore several specific areas that are helpful for therapists, including recognizing prognostic factors and resistance, managing dependency, shame, and aggression; maintaining therapeutic boundaries; treating dissociative parts as aspects of one person, and most importantly, learning to ride the waves of our own tendencies and strong emotions. Principles of treatment and of self-care will guide our discussion.

This course is based on the recorded webinar, Things I Wish I Had Been Told About Working With Complex Trauma and Dissociation created by Kathy Steele, MN, CS in 2021.