Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders:
An Evidence Based Guide
Christine A. Courtois PhD (Editor) and
Julian D. Ford (Editor) with
Foreword by Judith Lewis Herman and
Afterword by Bessel A. van der Kolk
http://www.guilford.com/p/courtois
Table of Contents:
Foreword, Judith Lewis Herman
Introduction, Christine A. Courtois and Julian D. Ford
I. Overview
1. Defining and Understanding Complex Trauma and Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders,
Julian D. Ford and Christine A. Courtois
2. Neurobiological and Developmental Research: Clinical Implications,
Julian D. Ford
3. Best Practices in Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents,
Julian D. Ford and Marylene Cloitre
4. Best Practices in Pychotherapy for Adults,
Christine A. Courtois, Julian D. Ford, and Marylene Cloitre
5. Assessment of the Sequelae of Complex Trauma: Evidence-Based Measures,
John Briere and Joseph Spinazzola
6. Attachment and Abuse History, and Adult Attachment Style,
Daniel Brown
7. Treating Dissociation,
Kathy Steele and Onno van der Hart
8. Cultural Competence,
Laura S. Brown
9. Therapeutic Alliance and Risk Management,
Philip J. Kinsler, Christine A. Courtois, and A. Steven Frankel
10. Living and Working Self-Reflectively to Address Vicarious Trauma,
Laurie Anne Pearlman and James Caringi
II. Individual Treatment Approaches and Strategies
11. Contextual Therapy,
Steven N. Gold
12. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy,
Christie Jackson, Kore Nissenson, and Marylene Cloitre
13. Contextual Behavior Trauma Therapy,
Victoria M. Follette, Katherine M. Iverson, and Julian D. Ford
14. Experiential and Emotion-Focused Therapy,
Diana Fosha,Sandra Paivio, Kari Gleiser, and Julian D. Ford
15. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy,
Janina Fisher and Pat Ogden
16. Pharmacotherapy,
Lewis A. Opler, Michelle S. Grennan, and Julian D. Ford
III. Systemic Treatment Approaches and Strategies
17. Internal Family Systems Therapy,
Richard C. Schwartz, Mark F. Schwartz, and Lori Galperin
18. Couple Therapy,
Susan M. Johnson and Christine A. Courtois
19. Family Systems Therapy,
Julian D. Ford and William Saltzman
20. Group Therapy,
Julian D. Ford, Roger D. Fallot, and Maxine Harris
Conclusion: The Clinical Utility of a Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders Framework,
Julian D. Ford and Christine A. Courtois
Afterword,
Bessel A. van der Kolk
Excerpt from the book's introduction:
[begin excerpt]
Psychological trauma was originally considered to be an abnormal experience (i.e., "outside the range of normal human experience" in DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association, 1980), but as epidemiological evidence accumulated to demonstrate that a majority of adults (e.g..Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995) and a substantial minority of children
(e.g., Costello, Erklani, Fairbank, & Arnold. 2002) are exposed to traumatic events.
There has been a shift to defining psychological trauma without any qualifications about its normality or abnormality. Generally, people who have not experienced traumatic events do not expect trauma to occur in their (or their families' or communities') 1ives, but once psychological trauma has occurred, he or she is both more likely objectively to experience subsequent traumatic events and more prone subjectively to expect trauma to be a possibility. With the increasing diffusion of virtually instantaneous information through the many forms of electronic and other media--not only in Westernized societies but also in socioeconomically underdeveloped countries--people's awareness of traumatic events has been greatly heightened, even if these events never happen to them or to anyone they know personally (e.g., the Silver, Holman, McIntosh, Palm, & Gil-Rivas [2002] national U.S. survey on the effects of the September 11, 2001, terrorist incidents).
[end excerpt]
Here's another excerpt by the same authors:
[begin excerpt]
Another unfortunate reality concerning complex trauma is related to its interpersonal nature.
The closer the relationship between perpetrator(s) and victim(s) and their group memberships (e.g., in a family, religion, gender, political party, institution, chain of command, the more likely they are to face conditions of divided loyalty. As a self-protective strategy, the group
may coalesce around silencing, secrecy, and denial. As a result, victims do not receive the
help they expect and need when the victimization is disclosed or otherwise exposed. This circumstance has been labeled the second injury (Symonds,1975) or betrayal trauma (DePrince & Freyd, 2007). A lack of response or protection--or victim blaming--is betrayal of the victim's trust and the helper's responsibility that can severely exacerbate traumatic victimization. In the worst case scenario, a caregiver directly and repeatedly abuses a vulnerable child or does not
respond or protect the child from abuse by others. Young children exposed to betrayal trauma by caregivers often develop a disorganized/dissociative attachment style in childhood and an adult attachment style described as fearful/avoidant/dissociative (Lyons-Ruth, Dutra, Schuder & Bianchi, 2006). Children, more than adults, are prone to use dissociation to cope with such overwhelming circumstances (Putnam, 2003), and it is now hypothesized that this style transforms the personality, preventing the integration of the traumatization across all aspects of the child's and later the adult's self. The result is a person who maintains a "front" or an "as if" or "apparently normal" personality that seems functional but is numb to and even unaware of the trauma, and an "emotional" personality that is incapacitated psychosocially by the knowledge of the trauma (see Steele & van der Hart, Chapter 7, this volume).
[end excerpt]
Reviews:
"Courtois and Ford present an essential, comprehensive work for clinicians and researchers.
Evidence-based practice recommendations for psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic treatment are presented-carefully adapted for those suffering from complex traumatic stress disorders-and a range of treatment models are clearly described. Rich clinical material, and attention to management of the therapeutic alliance, therapist self-care, and other key challenges in working with these clients, make this a most useful and innovative resource."
--Josef I. Ruzek, PhD, Acting Director,
Dissemination and Training Division,
National Center for PTSD
"This is the single best source for clinical expertise in complex traumatic stress disorders. Leading clinicians and researchers share a rich array of individual, couple, family, and group therapy models that illustrate basic treatment principles and best practices. Informed by recent research, the contributors cover the developmental and neurobiological background against which to frame essential assessment and treatment issues. Chapters on such pragmatic topics
as vicarious traumatization and risk management offer advice on reducing stress for therapists working with these challenging cases."
--Frank W. Putnam, MD,
Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry,
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
"Treatments based on a traditional conceptualization of PTSD are frequently insufficient to address the diverse, long-lasting, and pervasive effects of complex trauma. This book offers a comprehensive review of treatment considerations, assessment measures, best practices, and evidence-based treatment approaches specifically tailored for psychotherapy with people who have experienced prolonged abuse and neglect by caregivers. An indispensable guide for any mental health professional who works with trauma survivors."
--Pamela C. Alexander, PhD,
Senior Research Scientist,
Wellesley Centers for Women