The past two years have wrought an unprecedented traumatic experience on the entire world. People have faced social isolation and threat to life from a virus that lurks at every turn. Because humans have the same survival instincts as any other mammal, our automatic responses have been to fight, flee from potential risk, collapse into hopelessness, remain frozen in fear inside our homes, or to cry for help. The challenge we face as the pandemic nears its end is learning how to live again in a world without threat, how to ‘turn off’ the survival responses that have become increasingly automatic, and how to recover from the ordeal with which we have been living.
Objectives
We live in a time of collective trauma. It is a shared experience that impacts the psychological and somatic health for both clients and therapist. The trauma therapist experiences the same systemic and societal forces as the clients they work with. The ongoing nature of the collective stress can feel groundless and can lead to overwhelm, hopelessness and bodily disconnect. This presentation will provide clinical tips on how to utilize somatic interventions for both client and therapist. We will examine the impact of collective trauma on the therapist-client work and how to apply a mindset towards resiliency. Through understanding the importance of somatic intelligence, a concrete pathway towards more compassionate capacity becomes available.
Objectives
Dissociation – in simple terms, lack of awareness of the present moment; psychological absence from the `here and now’- is a complex response which can take many forms. These range from mild and benign to entrenched and severe. Yet `[o]ne characteristic of dissociative phenomena is how frequently they are misdiagnosed or not accounted for at all. Many people in the mental health profession do not know what dissociation looks like or how to assess for it’ (Danylchuk & Connors, 2017: 39) This session discusses the importance of clinical attunement to dissociation, which if not identified and addressed in its often hard to discern forms can seriously disrupt integrated functioning. It introduces the core features of dissociation, how these can manifest, and how attentiveness to dissociation can assist clients with contrasting presentations.
Objectives
The idea of growth out of trauma is not a new one and has been recognised throughout history. The theory of ‘posttraumatic growth’ was first described in 1995 by Richard Tedeschi & Lawrence Calhoun, and numerous studies have explored the process subsequently. This presentation explores the theory, some of the history, the domains of PTG, and a range of research across different experiences of trauma. Given the impact of COVID-19 across the globe, a focus on the potential for posttraumatic growth seems particularly relevant.
Objectives
Following an adverse life event, some clients bounce back, whereas others navigate a profound psychological struggle. It is this struggle, however, that can provide a chance to ‘bounce forward’ and experience post-traumatic growth (PTG). PTG involves a cognitive shift, newfound appreciation of life, reconnection with personal strengths, and a focus on meaning that often involves helping others. Understanding the difference between resilience and PTG is crucial for clinicians, so that they can facilitate the strength-based PTG process without minimising the damage that trauma can cause.
In this 1-hour session, we will identify key components of PTG, discuss strategies that help facilitate PTG, and explore factors that help determine whether a client is open to a discussion about aspects of PTG.
Objectives
There are possibilities of growth even in those who have suffered greatly. Coping with trauma and aiming towards recovery are the usual goals of trauma focused therapies. Post Traumatic Growth is ‘a positive transformation that goes far beyond recovery and coping. This session introduces the concept of Post Traumatic Growth, and encourages a nuanced approach so as not to create expectations for posttraumatic growth in all trauma survivors, and to instead promote a respect for the difficulty of trauma recovery while allowing for the exploration of possibilities for various kinds of growth even in those who have suffered greatly.
Objectives