This text provides practical skills for use by mental health clinicians working with survivors of child abuse and neglect, and other forms of complex traumatisation.

Since the conceptualisation of Complex PTSD, a range of clinically effective treatments for some of our most challenged and challenging clients has emerged. There is a paradigm shift in treatment occurring, and with that a need for all treatment providers to understand when cognitive behavioural interventions for the traumatised are indicated, and when other, more experiential, but still empirically-validated, approaches are required. There is more hope for our traumatised clients than ever before, and this text will equip mental health clinicians with immediately practical evidenced based skills to treat their clients who have survived complex traumatisation.

About the author Leah Giarratano

This book contains 15 chapters and 499 pages. It was first published in October 2018 + revised and reprinted in July 2022. Book size is 232mm x 152mm.

Retail Price: $150 (including GST) Australian Dollars. Purchase this direct from Talomin Books for $127.50 (including GST) Australian Dollars. Delivery fee applies.

Topics include:

• The concepts of Complex PTSD v/s PTSD, attachment disorders, and personality disorders. What’s the difference/relationship?

• Phased-based versus unimodal treatment for complex trauma - the best practice controversy and guidelines

• Building and maintaining the therapeutic relationship, including maintaining compassionate boundaries and managing therapy disruptions and termination

• Using the therapeutic relationship to promote emotion regulation

• Understanding attachment re-enactment and betrayal trauma in order to work with challenging behaviours, including: ‘splitting’ between care providers; idolising/demonising the therapist; constant new crises; reduced motivation; external locus of control

• Practical therapeutic techniques (including exposure interventions and experiential tools) drawn from: Attachment-based treatment; Emotion Focused Therapy; Dialectical Behaviour Therapy;  Metacognitive and Mentalisation Therapies; Schema Therapy; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help clients presenting with complex trauma symptomatology, including flashbacks, numbing and dissociation, emotional ‘hurricanes’, somatisation, self-hate, self-harming and  suicidal acts, dysfunctional relationships and substance abuse

• Managing and reducing vicarious trauma in the therapist

The table of contents is as follows:

Chapter 1. Complex Trauma. History and Concepts

Chapter 2.. Impact of complex trauma upon survivors

Chapter 3.. Assessment of complex trauma

Chapter 4.. Overview of treatment

Chapter 5.. Psychoeducation

Chapter 6.. Establishing and maintaining the therapeutic relationship

Chapter 7.. Bypassing therapy blocks

Chapter 8.. Establishing safety and protecting the next generation

Chapter 9.. Managing problem behaviours

Chapter 10.. Treating attachment pathology

Chapter 11.. Challenging the inner tormentors

Chapter 12.. Finding the wise self: Fostering metacognitive capacity

Chapter 13.. Relational skills training

Chapter 14.. Phase Two of Treatment: Processing traumatic memories

Chapter 15.. Self-care for trauma clinicians

References

Index

Note: The following manual completes the above text by providing clinician resources and handouts for distribution to clients.

Giarratano, L (2018) Managing Psychological Trauma: Clinician and Client Resources for the Clinical Skills Series, Talomin Books, Sydney, Australia, ISBN 9781920902049

If you wish to contact Leah Giarratano, please send a detailed enquiry to her assistant using the contact form on this site