In the field of complex trauma and dissociative disorders we are accustomed to conceptualizing our work through the lens of a three-phase treatment model which includes: safety and stabilization, processing of traumatic memories and integration/new life as one integrated self. However, in my clinical practice I have found it useful to conceptualize the treatment as […]
Treating dissociation at times can feel like groping around in the dark. We know we are in the right ballpark, but every session can be an act of straining to interpret and understand what is being presented. Ever since I started doing treatment and parenting as a therapeutic foster parent, I wanted desperately to have […]
Child sexual abuse is an extensive health problem in the United States (U.S.) and leads to a variety of serious mental and physical health issues throughout the lifetime of the individual (Townsend & Rheingold, 2013). Short and long term consequences include exacerbation of autoimmune diseases, labile affect, dissociation, mood dysregulation, poor self-esteem, and problems related […]
Eli, age seven, lives with his younger sister Marianne, age four, and their mother Lisa, in New York City. They had lived in a domestic violence shelter for a year, and before that with his stepfather, Mark, till Lisa fled with the kids following repeated violence. Huddled in his bed, Eli had often heard his […]
“Oik, Oik, Oik,” Emmett, the Guinea Pig, squeaks with delight as one of his favorite child-clients enters the therapy room. He nuzzles on her lap to keep her grounded as she processes a traumatic memory through the EMDR Standard Protocol. In another session, Emmett is tenderly laid in the baby buggy and gently pushed around […]
As a criminologist studying organised child sexual abuse, I sometimes feel like I live in the ‘upside down’, the shadow world parallel to our own in the TV series Stranger Things. In the TV series, the ‘upside down’ looks like our own world, but darker and filled with unpredictable terror. Kids disappear into it sometimes, […]
Five year old Luke was referred to therapy by his kindergarten teacher due to his disruptive behavior in the classroom and his constant refusal to follow rules. When I asked him what had happened at school before coming to see me, he was perfectly capable of giving a narrative of the facts. When I asked […]
We are pleased to announce the re-launch of Kid’s Korner, a regular feature of ISSTD News. Kid’s Korner will focus specifically on child and adolescent news and issues. This will be a forum for members to read about specific treatment issues in working with children and adolescents, upcoming training events, useful books and resources, and […]
