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:

II. Individual Treatment Approaches and Strategies

III. Systemic Treatment Approaches and Strategies

Conclusion: The Clinical Utility of a Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders Framework,

Afterword,

[begin excerpt]

[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).

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Reviews:

"Courtois and Ford present an essential, comprehensive work for clinicians and researchers.

--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

Recollections of Sexual Abuse: 

Treatment Principles and Guidlines

 

Christine A. Courtois PhD, 2002, 1999

http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=4294970971

Advance acclaim
 

"Recollections of Sexual Abuse is a clinical and academic tour de force, bringing the most recent contributions of the scientific literature to a sound and cogent discussion of the memory

controversy. . . . Christine Courtois has dedicated her professional life to understanding and helping abuse survivors, and here she brings a new and rational perspective to their treatment."

—James A. Chu, M.D., Director,

Trauma and Dissociative Disorders Program,

McLean Hospital

"To the extent clinicians need information about treatment principles and guidelines this book can be highly recommended. If therapists follow the suggested guidelines, there will be better therapeutic outcomes and far fewer cases of false memories."

—Joseph de Rivera,

Overview

Provides clinicians with treatment guidelines for working with delayed/repressed memories of sexual abuse. This book has a two-fold purpose:

(1) to provide the practicing clinician with information about the controversy surrounding delayed/repressed memory of sexual abuse and

(2) to provide treatment principles and guidelines for working with these issues.

population. Since a large percentage of those seeking psychotherapy have a history of

sexual abuse, all clinicians need a clear articulation of the current evolving standard of care for clients reporting memories of abuse. Drawing together material from many sources, this book provides state-of-the-art principles and guidelines for treatment when memories of past abuse are at issue. It covers available empirical and clinical data on human memory processes

for normal and traumatic events and on the treatment of posttraumatic conditions

in general and child sexual abuse in particular; the critiques and concerns voiced by cognitive psychologists who investigate memory and suggestibility issues; the recommendations made by a number of professional task forces and advisory committees charged with studying the issues involved in the controversy and making recommendations for practice; and the recommendations of expert clinicians and clinical researchers. Especially useful is Courtois’s application of the treatment decision model to a range of clinical scenarios, from continuous, corroborated memory of abuse to suspicions of abuse based on symptomatology. Speaking with authority and empathy, Courtois shows clinicians how to practice responsibly and safely while doing memory work. Her guidance is invaluable.

Partial Table of Contents

1. Establishing the Context: The Recovered Memory/False Memory Controversy in Sociohistorical Perspective

2. The Present Context: An Overview of the Recovered Memory/False Memory Controversy

3. Trauma and Memory

4. Child Sexual Abuse and Memory

5. Evolving Standards of Practice and the Standard of Care: Philosophy and Principles of Practice

6. The Evolving Consensus Model of Posttrauma Treatment

ISBN 10: 0-393-70281-2

1999 / 416 pages / hardcover

Healing the Incest Wound:
Adult Survivors in Therapy

Christine A. Courtois PhD, 1996, 1988

 

http://www.wwnorton.com/NPB/nppsych/313565.html

 

Overview