Dissociation with Adults 

In domestic violence shelters, substance abuse rehabilitation centers, eating disorder programs, in-patient psychiatric facilities, and general out-patient clinics; there are people with experiences of profound trauma and abuse.  Unfortunately, these clients are often labeled difficult, resistant, and manipulative.  They present with treatment histories marked by repeated failures.  Central to this problem are undiagnosed dissociative defenses used by these deeply wounded people to avoid intense emotions and manage attachment crises.  Exacerbating and underlying dissociative defenses is the co-morbid diagnosis of complex post-traumatic disorder.  Complex PTSD significantly differs in etiology, symptomatology, and treatment protocols from single incident trauma.  
In responding to clients with either or both of these conditions, attention must be paid to relational aspects of the client’s history, presentation, and sense of self.  Standardized treatment methodologies are largely ineffective; and may do more harm than good.  Creating an emphatically attuned treatment alliance, addressing the clinical issues of dissociation and the sequelae of complex PTSD, and empowering the client’s expression of an authentic sense of self is key to facilitating recovery.
Participants will be able to; identify dissociative defenses, recognize complex PTSD phenomena, utilize appropriate and clinically relevant diagnostic tools to design effective healing responses and emphatically work with trauma survivors.

Presenter:  Kevin J. Connors, MS, MFT  

Kevin J. Connors, MS, MFT is the Senior Vice President at Hecht Trauma Institute in Costa Mesa, California developing a training for clinicians, first responders, and others treating interpersonal trauma.  Kevin is also a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice in Long Beach, California and a frequent national and international presenter on complex trauma and dissociative disorders. He is co-author of Treating Complex Trauma and Dissociation: A practical guide to navigating therapeutic challenges.  
He is a Member-at-Large to the Board of Directors of the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence.  He is a Fellow and Past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and served as Chair of their Annual Conference Committee for 8 years.  Kevin also serves as Co-Chair of the Institute on Violence, Abuse, & Trauma’s International Summit Planning Committee’s Adult Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment Track.

Earn 1.5 Continuing Education Credit Hours!