Description
Sometimes the early life trauma for parent/caregivers has an adverse impact on their current family system, specifically on the child/parent relationship, the co-parenting relationship, and the marital dyad. As such, we recognize the importance and benefit of interventions that will engage the parent/caregiver in “doing their work” so that healing and repair can happen for the individual and the family system.
This training is focused on parents/caregivers who are survivors of developmental trauma. This is not often the focus for those accessing the mental health system as we have a tradition of viewing these individuals as having an “Axis II” diagnosis, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and as such are often challenged to know how to engage the adult in a way that lends itself to healing. This training brings voice to a shift that was started in 2003 by the Treatment and Research Advancements National Association for Personality Disorders (TARA-APD) concerning our understanding of BPD.
Considering adult survivors from a developmental trauma lens provides an opportunity to contribute to this shifting perspective in that it makes space to ask our clients “what happened to you “ rather than “what is wrong with you?” (Bernadette Kiraly, MD, 2018). Developmental Trauma Disorder is (was) a provisional diagnosis proposed by the Complex Trauma Taskforce for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (www.nctsn.org, 2009). This diagnosis is predicated on the notion that multiple and prolonged exposures to adverse childhood events mostly of a interpersonal nature such as abandonment, severe neglect, physical or sexual assault, or witnessing domestic violence result in complex disruptions to the developing child.
Adult Survivors of Developmental Trauma: A Framework for Assessment and Intervention will provide the participant with: a conceptual framework for understanding Developmental trauma from within a psychosocial and attachment framework, a definition of Developmental Trauma which will be differentiated from PTSD, CPTSD and BPD, and an overview of the impact on the brain and presenting symptoms will be outlined.
The role of assessment as a means to formulating effective intervention will be highlighted as the way to address the deficient sense of relational safety, emotion dysregulation, and lack of coherent personal identity and competence many adult trauma survivors struggle with. The assessment tool is the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5).
Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate between PTSD, CPTSD and Developmental Trauma
- Review the shifting perspectives on BPD
- Have further understanding of Developmental trauma in adults including impact on the brain, attachment and psychosocial development, and the key presenting symptoms
- Assess for Trauma in Adults. Note: Access to the measures presented requires proof of clinical status and the website to request access will be provided.
- Review of the 3 phase mode of trauma treatment for Adult Survivors of Developmental Trauma: Stabilization/Safety, Here and Now Processing (identifying triggers), Individual/Integration “Consolidating the Gains” (ISTSS, 2012)
The learning outcomes will be met through the presentation of theory and psycho education that will be illustrated by way of case scenarios and clinical cases.
