Posts by marcia
New Research Differentiates a Complex Trauma Diagnosis for Adults from Borderline Personality Disorder
Iceberg For decades the psychiatric diagnostic system in the United States has placed adults struggling with chronic mental health issues as a result of complex trauma in a limited number of narrowly defined boxes. Most prevalent among these is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Decades after its establishment as an important diagnosis, at its worst PTSD…
Read MoreWhen Nowhere is Safe: New Findings from the Developmental Trauma Disorder National Field Trial on Complex Childhood Trauma
In a recent International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies blog entitled “When Nowhere is Safe: Traumatic Origins of Developmental Trauma Disorder,” Drs. Joseph Spinazzola and Julian Ford highlight findings from the two recently published lead studies of the Developmental Trauma Disorder national field trials. Their research provides the first data that explicitly substantiates the existence…
Read MoreNew Diagnostic Resource Available for Complex Trauma Adaptation: (DTD) Developmental Trauma Disorder Symptom List
Now available. Download here.
Read MoreTransforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice
Designed to improve the well-being and academic outcomes of Alaskan children, this phenomenal resource is relevant and applicable to educational systems throughout North America and beyond. Clear, concise and engaging, this framework synthesizes information from multidisciplinary scholarly literatures with extensive practice-based evidence derived from more than 200 school board and community members, teachers, counselors, nurses,…
Read MoreWhat is Complex Trauma?A Resource Guide for Youth & Those Who Care About Them
This youth-inspired and youth-vetted guide is one of the first resources on complex trauma designed specifically for independent use by trauma-impacted youth. Also appropriate for adult-supported use with younger children and select adolescents as needed. Employs plain language to advance understanding of complex trauma as a distinct form of psychological trauma. Identifies common effects of…
Read MoreNever Give Up: A Complex Trauma Film by Youth for Youth
This gripping short film showcases a diverse ensemble of adolescents and young adults who share hard lessons learned in their efforts to endure and overcome developmental and systemic trauma. Written and produced by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola and colleagues, Never Give Up uniquely blends documentary and theatrical elements to achieve an authentic, insightful, and above all…
Read MoreWhen Nowhere is Safe: Impaired Caregiving, Domestic Violence and Community Violence Increase Risk for Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD)
This important study conducted by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola and his colleagues empirically demonstrates that disruption to early attachment relationships– even in the absence of more overt traumatic experiences such as physical or sexual abuse– is a primary driver of complex adaptation to trauma. The authors draw on data from a national clinical field trial to…
Read MoreComplex Trauma & Polyvictimization in LGBTQ Commercially Exploited & Urban Minority
This compelling review article by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola and his colleagues bridges multiple disciplines, including criminology, juvenile justice and medicine. It defines and clarifies the many terms used in these fields to describe violence and its effects, and offers a unifying common language. It takes into account systemic factors that disproportionately increase risk of violence…
Read MoreEnduring Neurobiological Effects of Childhood Abuse & Neglect
This exceptional review paper by Drs. Martin Teicher and Jacqueline Sampson synthesizes decades of neuroscientific research on childhood abuse and neglect to reveal three critically important truths. First, that all forms of attachment trauma in childhood, including “non-contact” forms of adversity such as emotional abuse, as well as traumas of omission such as emotional neglect,…
Read MoreInternational Trauma Questionnaire:
International Trauma Questionnaire: A Valid and Reliable Measure of ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD. Now Available in English, Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese & Swedish! Read More at Link
Read MoreBook- How Little Coyote Found His Secret Strength
From a highly regarded new series, this illustrated children’s book explores the effects of chronic emotional abuse on children and shares pathways to resilience. Help for parents and caregivers on how to support children impacted by bullying and other maltreatment includes educational information for parents and caregivers on how to support children impacted by bullying…
Read MoreBook-Treating Adult Survivors of Childhood Emotional Abuse
This is the first book that focuses on treating adult survivors of the most subtle and insidious forms of complex childhood trauma: emotional abuse and neglect. This book creatively introduces CBP, a new treatment model for complex trauma. It follows the lives, relationships and internal worlds of four characters– two clients and their therapists—over the…
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