On Friday 6 October (USA EDT) ISSTD will hold its first ever all-day webinar. This webinar will focus on the complex area of ritualistic, religious, spiritual and organised abuse.
The webinar will be presented by leading international thinkers and practitioners in this field.
The day will be opened by leading British child, adolescent and adult psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and writer, Dr. Valerie Sinason. Her introductory session will explain the term “ritual abuse” by providing a shared language and definition, describe the emotional impact of this narrative for the patient and the therapist, and discuss the controversy around the subject of ritual abuse.
The second session will be conducted by Canadian clinical psychologist and writer in the field of ritual abuse and mind control, Dr. Alison Miller, who will discuss the unique safety issues associated with victims of organized abuse as they disclose abuse. She will provide suggestions for preventing and avoiding ongoing access by perpetrators. She will also talk about the structure of the organized personality system and internal hierarchies, and ways to use knowledge of the internal structure to reduce symptoms.
American clinical social worker and advocate Eileen Aveni will lead the third session, which will focus on the complexities of identifying victims of ritual abuse and mind control. Such recognition is complex, as survivors often present with clues that are not obvious to a clinician unfamiliar with this severe type of trauma. She will provide an overview of the clinical features and clues that ritual abuse and mind control may be present in the background of a client, despite apparently unrelated presenting problems.
The fourth session will be led by recent past president of ISSTD, therapist and educator, Dr. Lynette Danylchuk, who will focus on unique patterns and behaviors that are common in survivors of ritualized abuse, the ways they show up in therapy and the ways they impact on treatment and the therapeutic relationship.
The final session will be led by Australian criminologist, lecturer and author, Dr. Michael Salter who will present the findings of an Australian study of women disclosing organised abuse in adulthood and the mental health professionals who support them. The reflections of survivors and professionals in this study suggest that the cooperation of multiple agencies can support the physical and psychological safety of the survivor (and their children). However a lack of shared understanding and training amongst responding professionals and services can result in the premature dismissal of reports, the stigmatisation of victims, and retraumatising interventions. Implications for practice and policy will be discussed.
There are few opportunities for such high quality training in this complex field. While it might be tempting to see this as a specialist area, in fact many trauma therapists will be presented with clients with a background of some form of organised abuse. Given this situation, training in this area is vital for everyone in the field and we encourage ISSTD members and other professionals to enrol.
Registration Fees (All Five Sessions)
$99 Professional Members | $149 for Professional Non-Members
$49 Student Member | $99 Student Non-Members
$79 Retired & Emerging Professional Members | $129 Retired & Emerging Professional Non-Members
Can’t Make It?
If your schedule won’t allow for you to attend, each webinar session will be recorded and made available for purchase. The cost per recorded session is $25 For ISSTD members and $45 for non-members.
If you require additional information, contact ISSTD headquarters, info@isst-d.org