About the Book
This pragmatic workbook offers evidence-based skills grounded in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you find lasting relief from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you've experienced trauma, you should know that there is nothing wrong with you. Trauma is a normal reaction to an abnormal event. Sometimes, the symptoms of trauma persist long after the traumatic situation has ceased. This is what we call PTSD--in other words, the trauma after the trauma. This happens when the aftereffects of trauma--such anxiety, depression, anger, fear, insomnia, and even addiction--end up causing more ongoing harm than the trauma itself. So, how can you start healing? With this powerful and proven-effective workbook, you'll find practical exercises for overcoming trauma using mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. You'll learn how to be present in the moment and identity the things that trigger your trauma. You'll also find activities and exercises to help you cope with stress, manage intense emotions, navigate conflict with others, and change unhealthy thought patterns that keep you stuck. Finally, you'll find practical materials for review and closure, so you can take what you've learned out into the world with you. If you're ready to move past your trauma and start living your life again, this workbook will help guide you, one step at a time. The practical interventions in this guide can be used on their own or in conjunction with therapy.
About the Author :
Kirby K. Reutter, PhD, is a bilingual licensed psychologist, licensed mental health counselor, and internationally certified substance abuse counsellor. Reutter has widely presented his unique approaches to psychotherapy throughout the nation. In addition, Reutter has conducted his own international research on coping, the results of which have been published by three different sources. He specializes in working with residential populations, traumatized adolescents and Spanish-speaking clients. Reutter was named a New England Scholar in 2002 and presented his original research at MIT in 2015.
Known as the "Ninja Therapist," Dawn DePasquale, LMHC, is a national speaker, trainer and media presence for mental health issues and is the founder, CEO and clinical director of Bell Mental Health Associates, LLC. She spends her free time writing and illustrating her first two therapeutic children's book series, The Ninja Therapist and The Dragon Worriers and using her LMHC for good, rather than evil (most of the time). When she isn't doling out advice through her Southcoast News Group online advice blog, Ask Dawn, you can find her reading comic books and playing video games with her family and beloved dogs.
Review :
"Kirby Reutter delivered again! His dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) self-help book teaches trauma survivors to go beyond numbing their pain; rather, they are guided in restoring the balance of their thoughts and emotions. Reutter breaks down 'applied mindfulness' into eye-opening sections that can speak to all. The enlightening flow from acceptance to action, accompanied by his therapeutic tools, such as the RAIN DANCE technique, will work to navigate through relationships, life, and self. His adaptation of DBT for post-traumatic stress disorder sufferers will help to facilitate healing the pain now and in the future with supportive exercises throughout this book." —Iva Svancarova, clinical mental health counselor and DBT enthusiast currently practicing in New York, NY
"Kirby Reutter has used his knowledge, passion, and experience to write a workbook that is applicable to individuals that struggle with trauma. His approach through real examples, along with his unique sense of humor, is truly captured in his work. Having worked alongside him, the workbook reads as many of his therapy sessions would play out. He uses language that is understandable and relatable, and offers a vantage point that allows individuals to feel comfortable and as though this is a journey and not a life sentence. He provides the education and tools needed, offering support throughout the process of healing." —Nicole Johnson-Smith, MS, CCTP, LMHC-A, director of the LaGrange County Northeastern Center, and adjunct faculty of the Jannen School of Arts and Sciences at Trine University
"Restoring balance! Kirby Reutter has complied many useful exercises to aid anyone in the healing process. I have used his exercises in my own life, in my practice with counseling women who have experienced trauma, and I have recommended his work for individuals to use on their own. Reutter frames concepts in a way that is very practical and useful. These exercises are easy to use and demonstrate growth. I am excited to have this resource published and available for a wider population to access for their own healing." —Charla Leman, LCSW, CADAC IV, supervising counselor at Gateway Woods Family Services, cofounder of the drug and alcohol program at Gateway Woods Residential Services, and cofounder of BASICS at Ohio University Counseling and Psychological Services
