Dissociation
All sessions can be found in full on learn.nctsn.org under “Clinical Training” – “Identifying Critical Moments and Healing Complex Trauma”. These are worth CEU (Continuing Education Units) credit when completed in their entirety.
After watching the video, please take the time to give us feedback on the session. Your feedback will help us shape the new webinars and sessions! If you have any questions or would like a copy of your responses, please email Caitlin Sullivan at caisullivan@uchc.edu.
Defusing Violence and Facilitating Recovery from Profound Dissociation
Session
Q&A
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
In this webinar, a mother and her teenage daughter who have experienced severe family violence by an ex-husband/father in the past become embroiled in an intense verbal argument that escalates into sudden physical violence. Their therapist attempts to mediate the disagreement while not siding with either mother or daughter, and then must help the mother recover from shock and dissociation while simultaneously helping the daughter not run away and stay present in the room. Mother and daughter go through a complex series of emotional reactions (anger, fear, guilt, shame, grief) with the help of the therapist, and are able to make the shift from experiencing a flashback of violence to reconnecting with one another based on their core relationship.
Managing Parental Dissociation During a Dyadic Therapy Session
Session
Q&A
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
Debbie is a 10-year-old multiracial girl who lives with her 27-year-old African American mother Sharon. Sharon has struggled for years with substance abuse. The family lived for several years in a shared space which was quite chaotic. During this time, Debbie often would be with other children in the building for many hours at a time without adult supervision. Many adults would come in and out of the building, and Debbie often did not see her mother, sometimes, for days. During this session Sharon begins to dissociate and the therapist must now find a way to comfort Debbie while supporting Sharon.
Understanding and Working with Dissociative States
Session
Post Session Interview
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
In this webinar, you will meet Adam, a 15-year-old Caucasian male. For years, Adam was excelling in school and was a star soccer athlete. Unbeknownst to his parents, Adam was sexually assaulted a year ago by his female tutor Amber. Following this, Adam began to struggle in school and behave in uncharacteristic ways. About one year later, Adam reported to his therapist that he was hearing voices telling him to kill himself. Over several weeks, Adam became increasingly anxious and sad and began to experience auditory hallucinations telling him to either hang himself or jump out a window.
Triggered Distress in a Young Child During Play Therapy
Session
Post Session Interview
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
In this webinar, you will meet Maya, a 9-year-old girl, referred for therapy due to numerous instances of domestic violence by her father toward her mother (some of which she witnessed), physical abuse by her father, and possible sexual assault with no specific disclosures. Maya has attended therapy with this therapist for only a short time and recently has begun to demonstrate more trauma-related play. This session illustrates how dysregulation and trauma processing can be exhibited in play, sometimes with significant distress for the child with developmental trauma.
Supporting a Recently Traumatized Youth in a Crisis of Dissociation and Self-Harm
Session
Post Session Interview
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
Samantha is a 15-year-old African American girl who lives in public housing in an urban area rife with violence and drug use. Samantha is an outstanding student and attends private school on scholarship, where her friends describe her as beautiful, popular, brilliant, and a star athlete. At age 10, Samantha saw her brother murdered when he was walking her home from school. Their mother became hysterical and chronically depressed, and their father changed from a loving dad to drinking and screaming at the family. Samantha was sexually assaulted by her boyfriend’s male friends at a party where she became intoxicated and passed out. Samantha has no memory of the event and was referred to a female therapist, Dr. Sofia Mattei, by a sexual assault counselor who met with her at the hospital. This webinar presents Samantha’s first therapy session with Dr. Mattei.
Helping a Family Cope with the Threat of Revictimization
Session
Q&A
Want free CEUs? Go to the NCTSN Learning Page
Description
Michael (12 years old) and Trisha (16 years old) live with their mother Monica in a single-parent household. Five years ago, their father Neil was incarcerated after violently attacking and nearly killing Monica while the children were upstairs in their bedrooms. Michael and Trisha seemed resilient, doing well emotionally, in school, and with peers, but Monica developed panic attacks and nightmares. Monica began therapy with Dr. Taylor two years ago, and her PTSD symptoms had largely resolved until she learned recently that her ex-husband was going to be released from prison. Monica and Dr. Taylor jointly decided it would be helpful for the children to learn of their father’s imminent release in a family session with Dr. Taylor, the children’s first meeting with her.