In this talk, Dr. Courtois will discuss the aftereffects as identified in the CPTSD diagnosis and the Developmental Trauma Disorder conceptualization. We will discuss these in terms of their complexity and their compounded, layered, and entwined physiological and psychological origins that occur over time and have varied modes of expression, including dissociative responses. Symptoms will be discussed as efforts at adaptation to the trauma that often become maladaptive over time when they are used out of their original context.            

In addition, she will talk about the development of treatment models for complex traumatic stress disorders that address their many manifestations.  In the aftermath of our recently revised book on complex trauma treatment, Julian Ford and I have developed a treatment meta-model along with guidelines to assist the clinician in what can be a very challenging and confusing treatment process. The acronym PRISM refers to treatment that is Personalized, Integrative, Sequenced, Relational, and Multi-component treatment. Each of these will be presented along with its specific rationale and sub-components. Following this lecture, attendees will be able to discern how the various treatment models presented in this Congress on Attachment and Trauma fit within this meta-model.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify the criteria for Disorders of Self-Organization.
2. Participants will be able to identify three reasons that the sequenced model has utility with this population.  
3. Participants will be able to identify what the acronym PRISM stands for.

In this talk, Dr. Courtois will discuss the aftereffects as identified in the CPTSD diagnosis and the Developmental Trauma Disorder conceptualization. We will discuss these in terms of their complexity and their compounded, layered, and entwined physiological and psychological origins that occur over time and have varied modes of expression, including dissociative responses. Symptoms will be discussed as efforts at adaptation to the trauma that often become maladaptive over time when they are used out of their original context.            

In addition, she will talk about the development of treatment models for complex traumatic stress disorders that address their many manifestations.  In the aftermath of our recently revised book on complex trauma treatment, Julian Ford and I have developed a treatment meta-model along with guidelines to assist the clinician in what can be a very challenging and confusing treatment process. The acronym PRISM refers to treatment that is Personalized, Integrative, Sequenced, Relational, and Multi-component treatment. Each of these will be presented along with its specific rationale and sub-components. Following this lecture, attendees will be able to discern how the various treatment models presented in this Congress on Attachment and Trauma fit within this meta-model.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify the criteria for Disorders of Self-Organization.
2. Participants will be able to identify three reasons that the sequenced model has utility with this population.  
3. Participants will be able to identify what the acronym PRISM stands for.

Every few years a seemingly new psychotherapeutic approach surges in popularity, only to fade away later as a distant memory.  Recently a wide variety of interactive factors underlying many health and mental health problems have been identified.   This seminar synthesizes the substantial literature on psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetics, combining it with the neuroscience of emotional, interpersonal, cognitive, dynamics, with psychotherapeutic approaches to offer an integrated vision of psychotherapy.  The integrative model promotes a conceptual shift in how we understand mental health problems and their solutions.  We can now understand how the immune system, diet, brain structure, and even gut bacteria effect mental health.  Psychotherapists in the 21st Century will by necessity become more like healthcare workers to address and resolve adverse mind-body-brain interactions.   Mind-Brain-Gene explores a wide variety of factors having multidirectional causal relationships between stress, depression, anxiety, the immune system, and gene expression.  The interaction between all these factors has been by illuminated by studies examining the effects of life style factors on the incidence of health and psychological problems.  There are significant relationships between immune system function, stress, insecure attachment, anxiety, depression, poor nutrition, bad quality sleep, physical inactivity, and neurophysiological dysregulation.  For example, insecure attachment, deprivation, and child abuse contribute to anxiety and depression as well as immune system dysregulation in far more extensive ways then was believed.  This complex range of health conditions effects millions of people who seek psychotherapy.

Learning Objectives:

1. The participant will gain an understanding of comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for pain, addiction, mental illness, and overall health.
2. The participant will be able to discuss five components of comprehensive diagnostic evaluations to help get the root of the identified patient’s concern or behavior.
3. The participant will be able to identify three types of clients that would benefit from comprehensive diagnostic evaluations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the need to develop the common denominators among therapies for the major psychological disorders.
2. Identify the new developments in neuroscience that are applicable to psychotherapy.
3. Explain how these new developments can be explained to clients as part of therapy.