Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life

Adult treatments for childhood trauma rarely take into account the disturbing impact of abuse on the development of emotional and social competencies so critical for effective living in later years. This workshop will present a flexibly applied, evidence-based treatment that systematically addresses the compromised capacities in emotional awareness, emotion regulation, and healthy attachment in adult survivors. As well, Marylène Cloitre will delve into the more evident symptomatology that burdens the survivor, such as PTSD, dissociation, depression, and anger. The program is organized into two 8-session phases. The first, Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), focuses on the regeneration of emotional and social resources to enhance day-to-day life and will include an emphasis on emotion regulation, and construction of adaptive “working models” of relationships.

The second, Narrative Story Telling (NST), focuses on the resolution of a fragmented understanding of self-and-other through the creation of a coherent and meaning-based life narrative tracked across three affect-based themes: fear/terror, shame, and loss. The role of the therapeutic alliance in contributing to positive process and outcome will be discussed.

You will learn —

Marylène Cloitre, PhD, is the founding director of the Institute for Trauma and Resilience at the NYU Child Study Center. She is also the Cathy and Stephen Graham Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the NYU School of Medicine. Her clinical work and research focus on the assessment and treatment of the effects of childhood maltreatment on emotional and social functioning across the life span. Dr. Cloitre has published widely and received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health (US) and other agencies to assess and intervene in the psychological and social effects of complex trauma in children and adults. She is co-author of Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse: Psychotherapy for the Interrupted.