​​​​​​​Complex trauma is… well, complex.  Complex trauma is the combined impacts of chronic or multiple traumas and disrupted attachment in early childhood. Often presenting with multiple diagnoses, multiple treatment failures, placement breakdowns, emotional or behavioral dysregulation, and dissociation, these young clients often get lost in the system.

This webinar features two professional, licensed and board certified art therapists providing an overview of the unique role of the creative arts in the treatment of trauma related disorders. Starting with a basic introduction to the neurobiology of trauma, we will review the importance of a “bottom up” approach (making art) as a way to bypass words, which may be largely unavailable when processing traumatic material.

​​​​​​​One of the greatest challenges in working with complex dissociative disorders is to provide a step-wise, rational, and relatively steady treatment approach. Chaos, crises, avoidance strategies, resistances, intense transference and countertransference, conflicts among dissociative parts, and a disorganized attachment style are only a few issues that contribute to difficulties in maintaining a stable therapy. We will explore specific ways to conceptualize a case that offers the therapist a meta-view of how the client is organized, opening a path toward a rational treatment plan. We will explore how to assess specific prognostic factors and set collaborative therapeutic goals. We will discuss general guidelines about how treatment might differ when there is more than one part that functions in daily life; which parts to work with first; when it is better to work with all, some or only one part at a time; steps toward integration even before traumatic memories can be addressed; and effective ways to work with particular types of parts.