Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma: An Introductory Workshop

Abstract
This preconference workshop will provide an introduction to Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma (DCTCT, MacIntosh, 2019), a manualized evidence based model of couple therapy for couples where one or both partners is dealing with complex traumatic responses to developmental traumas. Participants will be introduced to the research that provided the support for the development of the model and the four stages of the treatment process: Stage One: Psychoeducation and Containing Conflict, Stage Two: Skills Building in Emotion Regulation and Mentalizing, Stage Three: Attachment focused Dyadic Processing, and, Stage Four: Consolidation. Participants will have the opportunity to view training videos that exemplify each stage, explore the strategies for assisting couples in acquiring skills in emotion regulation and co-regulation, mentalizilg, and shifting negative interaction cycles that are embedded with traumatic echoes from past relational contexts.
At the end of the workshop, participants will have a working understanding of the DCTCT model and skills necessary to work with couples living with complex trauma. Participants will also have an introduction to the underlying mechanisms of change including the developmental trajectory of building attachment security, emotion co-regulation, emotion regulation and, mentalizing, in adulthood, following developmental traumas that may have interrupted their development. Additionally, the impact of these developmental impacts will be explored and their relationship to couple distress, the couple therapy process, and building positive outcomes, will be discussed using case examples from the ongoing DCTCT research programme.