This insightful guide provides a pragmatic roadmap for treating adult survivors of complex psychological trauma. Christine Courtois and Julian Ford present their effective, research-based approach for helping clients move through three clearly defined phases of posttraumatic recovery. Two detailed case examples run throughout the book, illustrating how to plan and implement strengths-based interventions that use a secure therapeutic alliance as a catalyst for change. Essential topics include managing crises, treating severe affect dysregulation and dissociation, and therapist self-care. The companion website offers downloadable reflection questions for clinicians and extensive listings of professional and self-help resources. A new preface in the paperback and e-book editions addresses key scientific advances.
See also Drs. Courtois and Ford's edited volumes, Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders in Adults, Second Edition, and Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children and Adolescents, which present research on the nature of complex trauma and review evidence-based treatment models.
Winner (Second Place)—American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award, Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Category
About the Authors
Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPP, a board-certified counseling psychologist, is retired from private practice in Washington, DC, and is a consultant/trainer on topics on trauma psychology and treatment. She cofounded and then served for 16 years as Clinical and Training Director of The CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program, in Washington, DC.
Julian D. Ford, PhD, ABPP, a clinical psychologist, is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where he is Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders. He has served as President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation and European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
Industry Reviews
“This is a must-have for any clinician working with patients with trauma on a daily basis and for those therapists who do not necessarily have a specialization in trauma, but would like to get more knowledgeable about complex trauma. It should also be a required textbook for graduate students, especially doctoral level students interested in working in and/or researching PTSD situations.”
