About the Book
The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications is a comprehensive and truly vital text for both experienced professionals and novice clinicians alike. In these pages, dozens of experts and pioneers thoroughly cover the complex nuances of theory, assessment, research, and clinical practice. Specific sections cover etiology, neurobiology, and various theoretical and conceptual models for working with the complexities of cumulative and chronic traumatization in childhood.
Additional sections cover standardized and non-standardized assessment and diagnostic tools, as well as the formulation and organization of the clinical interview with children and caregivers. Other chapters provide systematic and comprehensive reviews of current treatment modalities and effective approaches for treating children with complex trauma and dissociation across different stages of early development. The book’s co-editors bookend the volume with thorough explorations of the nuanced and multifaceted issues impacting children with complex trauma and dissociative symptoms and features.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Christine A. Courtois 1. Setting the Stage: An Introduction to Child Complez Trauma and Dissociation Part 1: Theory, Conceptual Models, and Neurobiology in Children with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 2. Epidemiology of Dissociation in Children 3. The Discrete Behavioral States/States of Being Model 4. Traumatic Attachment: Clinicial Reasoning for Attachment Trauma 5. Affect Regulation, Attachment, and the Developing Social Brain: Implications for Assessment & Treatment of Dissociative Disorders 6. Structural Dissociation: Developmental Pathways and Treatment Implications 7. The Autohypnotic Model of Dissociation 8. Knowledge Isolation, Protective Adaptation, and Long-Term Impacts: Betrayal Trauma Theory's Contribution to Our Understanding of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Childhood 9. Interpersonal Neurobiology 10. Polyvagal Theory and The Autonomic Nervous System 11. The Innate Connection System and Sensory-Affective Orienting: Relevance to Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) Part 2: Symptomatology, Assessment, & Diagnosis in Children with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 12. Symptomatology in Children with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 13. Considerations in Screening, Assesment, and Clinical Interviewing 14. Differential and Co-occuring Diagnoses, Neurodivergence, & the Complexity of Dissociative Features in Children 15. Working Considerations in Building the Road Map to Treatment: Case Conceptualization, Treatment Guidelines, and Treatment Planning 16. Clinical Applications of the Star Theoretical Model Part 3: Treatment Modalities in Child Complex Trauma and Dissociation 17. Trauma-informed child psychoanalytic psychotherapy 18. Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy 19. The Attachment Video-Feedback Intervention (AVI): Reducing Dysregulated Parental Behavior, Attachment Disorganization and Dissociation 20. A Multimodal-Integrative Approach to EMDR Therapy 21. Psycho-Sensory Intervention®: An Occupational Therapy Approach 22. A Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Perspective on Family Interventions 23. Somatic Experiencing 24. Clinical Neurofeedback 25. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Not Just for Acute Trauma Anymore! 26. Animal-Assisted Therapy 27. Child-Centered Play Therapy 28. TraumaPlay: An Integrative Play Therapy Model for Children with Complex Trauma 29. Theraplay and Parts Work for Treating Children with Trauma and Dissociation 30. A Synergetic Play Therapy Approach 31. An Integrative and Phase-Oriented Approach to Sandtray Therapy 32. Art Therapy for Developmental Trauma and Dissociation with Children Part 4: Important Considerations in the Treatment of Children with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 33. The Therapeutic Relationship 34. Boundaries and Ethics 35. Sociocultural Determinants, Anti-Oppresive and Culturally Responsive Practices 36. Prenatal Reform: Complex Trauma, Dissociation, and Bonding with the Calming Womb Model 37. Fractured Bonds: Healing Trauma in the Caregiving System 38. Intersecting Timelines: Generational Perspectives 39. Shame and Guilt 40. The Trauma-Formed Defense and Self-Protective System 41. Self-Harm and Suicidality in Children with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 42. Complex Trauma and Dissociation in the Face of Ongoing Stress and Trauma: Child Refugees and Asylum Seekers 43. Listening to the Body Speak: Conversion Issues and Functional Neurological Symptoms 44. Chronic Pain, Medical Issues, and Complicated Clinical Presentations in Children With Complex Trauma and Dissociation 45. "Mind Control" in Ritualistic and Other Extreme and Dissociation-Savvy Abuse 46. Psychiatry and Pharmacology in the Treatment of Children and Youth with Complex Trauma and Dissociation 47. Conclusion
About the Author :
Ana M. Gómez, MC, LPC, is the director of the AGATE Institute, a leading expert and global speaker on complex trauma and dissociation in youth, and the author of multiple books, therapeutic tools, and training programs.
Jillian Hosey, MSW, RSW, LICSW, is a clinical consultant, trainer, and social worker. She is faculty with the ISSTD’s Center for Advanced Studies and the AGATE Institute and is also a fellow of the ISSTD.
Review :
“The child clinician is in for a treat when reading The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children. With well-written contributions that span theory, diagnosis, treatment, and special issues, the handbook’s thought-provoking chapters are filled with clinical anecdotes and case histories that make the pages come alive. Readers will find in-depth analysis of the ways in which different theories apply to a child population, including (but not limited to) polyvagal theory, the theory of interpersonal neurobiology, betrayal trauma theory, and the theory of structural dissociation. The editors have assembled an impressive collection of top experts who approach difficult issues with clarity, sensitivity, and depth. Whether you are a researcher, theorist, or practicing therapist, this book is bound to spark new, creative ideas that will help enrich this growing field. This comprehensive compendium belongs on the shelf of every clinician who deals with childhood complex trauma and dissociation. It will enrich professionals’ thinking and expand awareness of multiple treatment options.”
Joyanna Silberg, PhD, author of The Child Survivor: Healing Developmental Trauma and Dissociation, 2nd edition
“This comprehensive handbook provides a nuanced exploration of the theories, research, and therapeutic approaches pertaining to complex trauma and dissociation in children. The depth and breadth of this book make it an invaluable resource for all clinicians and researchers dedicated to addressing developmental trauma.”
Ruth A. Lanius, MD, PhD, coauthor of Healing the Traumatized Self: Consciousness, Neuroscience, Treatment, and co-editor of The Impact of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic
“Trauma and dissociation are alarmingly common, affecting a vast number of children. Yet children experiencing complex trauma are often misdiagnosed, leading to years of ineffective treatment and continued suffering. Ana Gomez and Jillian Hosey have provided an exceptional review of theory, assessment, best treatment practices, and research, essential for all professionals working with children impacted by complex trauma. This handbook is an invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers worldwide.”
Marlene Steinberg, MD, author of The SCID-D Interview: Dissociation Assessment in Therapy, Forensics, and Research and The Stranger in the Mirror: Dissociation—The Hidden Epidemic
"At over 900 pages, The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children should add 'comprehensive' to its title. The handbook begins with ten chapters devoted to competing models of dissociation, which offer theoretical rationales for the nearly score of diverse treatment approaches that follow. Chapters on screening and assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment course and structure, therapeutic relationships, suicidality and self-harm, and dealing with cultural and intergenerational factors provide a more generalizable clinical foundation that spans the many theories and treatments.
I did not read the handbook from cover to cover, and I doubt that many readers will. The chapters on the different theories and treatments are meant as introductions to the numerous schools of thought brought to bear on complex trauma and the dissociative disorders. These survey chapters, usually illustrated with case examples, should be read if and when one wants to become familiar with a particular viewpoint or therapeutic model. The more general clinical chapters, however, form a pragmatic core of knowledge about the complexities of working with these often very disturbed children and adolescents. In general, the forty-plus chapters are well-referenced and understandable to a wide readership. In aggregate, the handbook accomplishes what a good handbook should. It covers the range of mainstream theories and therapeutic approaches, while providing a solid clinical foundation that cuts across their differences.
Although the editors conclude that, 'Even the most exhaustive volumes cannot encapsulate the complexity inherent in this field,' the handbook comprehensively covers the critical clinical ground and serves as an authoritative first reference to the challenges of working with highly traumatized youth. It belongs in every child and adolescent therapist’s library."
Frank W. Putnam, MD, professor of psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
