Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists

by Suzette Boon, Kathy Steele, Onno van der Hart Ph.D.

Overview

Winner of the 2011 International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) Pierre Janet Writing Award.

A patient-oriented manual for complex trauma survivors.

This training manual for patients who have a trauma-related dissociative disorder includes short educational pieces, homework sheets, and exercises that address ways in which dissociation interferes with essential emotional and life skills, and support inner communication and collaboration with dissociative parts of the personality. Topics include understanding dissociation and PTSD, using inner reflection, emotion regulation, coping with dissociative problems related to triggers and traumatic memories, resolving sleep problems related to dissociation, coping with relational difficulties, and help with many other difficulties with daily life. The manual can be used in individual therapy or structured groups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393706468
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/28/2011
Series:	Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	83,615
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Suzette Boon, a pioneer in the diagnosis of trauma-related disorders, is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with a background in family and systemic therapy, cognitive and behavioral therapy, and hypnosis. She has worked extensively at both inpatient and outpatient psychiatric facilities. Since the late eighties, Suzette has specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with histories of early psychological trauma, in particular patients with complex dissociative disorders. She is co-founder of the European Society for Trauma and Dissociation (ESTD) and was its first president. The International Society for the Study of Dissociation (ISSD) granted her the David Caul Memorial Award in 1993, the Morton Prince Award in 1994 and the President’s Award of Distinction and the status of Fellow in 1995. In 2009, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). She is the co-author of Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation and Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation, both ISSTD Pierre Janet Writing Award winners in the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology. She lives in Maarssen, the Netherlands.

Kathy Steele, MN, CS, is in private practice with Metropolitan Psychotherapy Associates in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a former President of the International Society for the Study of Dissociation.

Onno van der Hart, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of Psychopathology of Chronic Traumatization, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands, and a psychologist. Until 2017 he was also a psychotherapist in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. He is a Past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).

Editorial Reviews

"This book is a much-welcomed tool for working with individuals with complex trauma. Although there are other training manuals that address the treatment of trauma, there is none that deal specifically with the subset of dissociative pathology. This manual is the first of its kind, a hands-on and practical training and skill-building tool for individuals and therapists. . . . The book has a user-friendly approach that is integrative and eclectic and can easily be introduced and incorporated in ongoing treatment. . . . For therapist and clients, navigating complex trauma can feel daunting and confusing with many stops and falls that may leave both feeling discouraged. This book is an anchor for the work, a place to return when uncertainty invades treatment."

Social Work with Groups

"Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation contains the lucid explanations, practical skills, and collective wisdom of three therapists with decades of experience treating dissociative patients. This book serves as a manual for therapists, a guide for trainers, and a workbook for dissociative disorder patients, delivering an up-to-date blend of the best clinical practices with recent advances in mindfulness therapy and cognitive behavioral approaches to pathological dissociation."

Frank W. Putnam

"[A] book worthy of [therapists’] time."

PsychCentral

"This book is a welcome and much-needed resource for complex dissociative clients and their therapists. It offers a myriad of exercises and strategies to help clients challenge dissociative adaptations and replace them with other means of coping, so that they can develop a more integrated self and life, and ultimately regain control of their bodies and minds."

Christine A. Courtois