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Mini Workshop

Trauma and Stressor Related Disorder and Disasters

When the Pandemic Isn't the Worst Thing That's Happened: Practical Tools for Complex PTSD Survivors In Our Troubled Times

Mini Workshop 4 - When the Pandemic Isn't the Worst Thing That's Happened: practical Tools for Complex PTSD Survivors in Our Troubled Times

Friday, November 18, 2022

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EST

Location: Marquis Ballroom B, 9th Floor

Earn 1.5 CE Credit

Keywords: Trauma, Cognitive Schemas / Beliefs, Treatment
Recommended Readings: Cloitre M, Stovall-McClough KC, Nooner K, Zorbas P, Cherry S, Jackson CL, Gan W, Petkova, E. (2010). Treatment for PTSD related to Childhood Abuse: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167; 915-924.
Chen, S., & Bonanno, G. A. (2020). Psychological adjustment during the global outbreak of COVID-19: A resilience perspective. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S51–S54.
Cloitre M, Stolbach B, Herman JL, van der Kolk B, Pynoos R, Wang J, Petkova E. (2009) Child and adult cumulative trauma as predictors of symptom complexity. Journal of Traumatic Stress 2009; Vol. 22, 399-408.

Presenter(s)

Tamar Gordon, Ph.D.

Clinical Director
Gordon Therapy Group
Bronx, New York
Susan Paula, Ph.D.

Senior Staff Psychologist
American Institute for Cognitive Therapy
New York, New York

More than 63% of children report experiencing at least one traumatic event before the age of 16. Approximately 30% of women and 15% of men experience childhood sexual abuse, and 20% of all children experience physical abuse. Recent studies show that those with previous exposure to trauma are likely to experience a worsening of psychiatric symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to non-traumatized peers.

This mini-workshop will teach attendees how to assess trauma history comfortably at intake, and how to promote resilience when disaster strikes. We will learn how to improve optimism and reduce social isolation using some specific clinical skills from Dr. Marylene Cloitre's STAIR/NT treatment model (Skills Training in Interpersonal and Affective Regulation/Narrative Therapy).

STAIR/NT is a treatment approach that is being used in the U.S. Veteran's Administration and has been shown to be effective in treating PTSD, depression, and interpersonal functioning deficits. Areas addressed will include how a complex trauma history can impact response to current stressors such as the pandemic and natural and man-made disasters. We’ll teach the physiological, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal coping skills designed for use with survivors of complex trauma contained in STAIR.

Outline:
• Trauma Assessment
o How to ask about trauma
o Managing avoidance
o Assessment of exposure
o Assessment of symptoms
• Understanding trauma and PTSD
o Types of traumatic experiences - DSM-V and beyond
o Adverse impact of trauma on social and emotional functioning
• How prior trauma exposure can impact response to subsequent trauma
o Resource loss model
o The impact of adversity learning
• Using STAIR (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation) to promote resilience in the face of trauma exposure
o Physiological coping skills
o Cognitive coping skills
o Behavioral coping skills
o Interpersonal coping skills
• Using Narrative Therapy to decrease trauma-related symptoms
o Imaginal exposure
o Revising the narrative of traumatic experiences
o Separating past from present

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, the learner will be able to:

Describe how exposure to previous trauma can impact response to subsequent traumatic events such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and man-made disasters.
State specific ways to ask about trauma without engaging therapist and client avoidance.
Select and explain physiological, cognitive, and behavioral coping skills that take trauma history into account.
Teach assertive communication skills to clients using Cloitre’s model of interpersonal schemas.
Long-term Goal: Attendees will be able to assess for trauma exposure and symptoms, provide effective psychoeducation about trauma and its effects, and design and implement trauma-focused treatment plans.