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ForwardThe Assessment and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation in Children and Adolescents | Arbuthnott 2025
Participants must have taken both parts of The Complexities of Complex Trauma and From Complex Trauma to Dissociative Disorders to enroll in this course.
Course Description
This course focuses on the assessment and treatment of traumatic dissociation in children and adolescents with complex trauma-related disorders. Over nine sessions, participants will engage in literature discussions, lectures, and case studies, combining theoretical knowledge with practical applications. The course curriculum covers a wide range of topics, starting with models of dissociation in children, which includes exploring developmental and attachment-related theories and relevant neurobiological research. Subsequent sessions delve into the identification and manifestation of dissociative symptoms across different developmental stages, emphasizing accurate diagnosis and the avoidance of misdiagnoses.
A significant portion of the program is dedicated to developing case conceptualization skills and integrating treatment guidelines and principles tailored to dissociation in young clients.This involves using comprehensive assessment data to guide treatment planning, understanding the role of family dynamics, and addressing cultural considerations in therapy. Stabilization techniques and building therapeutic relationships form the core of the initial treatment phase, focusing on safety, emotional regulation, and establishing trust. The program also covers advanced strategies for bridging dissociative states, addressing self-harm and aggression, and ensuring environmental safety. Further sessions address collaboration and advocacy within child-serving systems, emphasizing the therapist's role in communicating and advocating for clients across various milieus. The course also explores trauma processing techniques, including memory work and managing flashbacks, and concludes with strategies for integration and post-integration work, preparing therapists to support clients through the final stages of therapy and ensuring long-term resilience and well-being.
Course Format: 9 sessions Live Teleseminar; 2.5 hour sessions each.
Course Dates: Thursdays; 2025: Aug 14, Aug 28, Sep 11, Sep 25, Oct 9, Oct 23, Nov 13, Nov 20, Dec 4
Meeting Time: 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM US Eastern Time
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Required Texts
- Sinason, V., & Renée Potgieter Marks. (2022). Treating Children with Dissociative Disorders. Routledge.
- Silberg, J. L. (2021). The Child Survivor: Healing Developmental Trauma and Dissociation. Routledge.
Course Completion Requirements
Course completion requires live attendance, participation in sessions, and completion of session and overall evaluations. APA and ASWB credit cannot be awarded for watching the recording of a session. Please be advised that all courses have a course closure date, which is the last day of the month following the last session. All requirements must be completed by the course closure date. At that time, the course will no longer be accessible to participants who have pending tasks and credit cannot be retrieved at a later date.
APA: Participants must attend all sessions live (at least 50 minutes of every 60 minutes | For a 2.5 hour session participants must be present for at least 125 minutes out of the full 150 minutes). APA Credit is not awarded for any missed sessions, nor for partial attendance that does not satisfy the aforementioned criteria. Credit will only be awarded for individual sessions in which live attendance requirements are successfully met and session evaluations are complete. At the end of the course, certificates will be automatically populated upon the completion of the final overall course evaluation.
ASWB: Participants must attend all live sessions (at least 50 minutes of every 60 minutes | For a 2.5 hour session participants must be present for at least 125 minutes out of 150 minutes). If you are absent for an individual session or do not meet the aforementioned criteria, you are no longer eligible to earn ASWB credit at the completion of the course. *ASWB participants must be present and meet minute criteria for every single session throughout the course. ASWB certificates are manually processed by ISSTD staff and will be awarded via email approximately two weeks after the course closure date.
ISSTD Certificate Program: Participants must attend 7 out of 9 sessions (at least 50 minutes of every 60 minutes | For a 2.5 hour session participants must be present for at least 125 minutes out of 150 minutes). Those who attend the required number of sessions will be awarded 30 ISSTD Certificate Program credits. No certificate is awarded for certificate program credits.
For additional course policies please visit this page.
Target Audience
Licensed mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors, accredited psychotherapists, etc.) who are interested in developing their skills in treating clients with chronic trauma related disorders in children and adolescents.
The course content is at the advanced level.
Additional Information
Alexis Arbuthnott, PhD
Email: aeiarbuthnott@gmail.com
Alexis Arbuthnott, PhD, RDPsych, is a clinical psychologist with the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Dr. Arbuthnott obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology: Applied Developmental Emphasis from the University of Guelph in 2018. She has experience providing psychological assessments and interventions for children, adolescents, adults and families across the continuum of outpatient, acute inpatient, and residential care. She has a special interest in working with youth and families living with the sequelea of complex trauma. Her current position is on the Adolescent Psychiatry Unit at the Regina General Hospital. There she is involved in direct client care within a multidisciplinary inpatient team, supervises clinical psychology graduate students and psychiatry residents, provides consultation to other mental health professionals and community agencies, and conducts research on trauma and dissociation among youth within an inpatient setting.
Dr. Arbuthnott is also an Adjunct Professor with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and a member of the Canadian Psychological Association. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Arbuthnott has taught courses in personality psychology, has published research and presented on the topics of nonsucidial self-injury and equipping parents to support youth with complex mental health needs, and she is an author in The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children: Theory, Research and Clinical Applications edited by Ana Gomez and Jill Hosey.
She also volunteers her time on several ISSTD committees, including the Child and Adolescent Treatment Guidelines Workgroup, Professional Training Program Child and Adolescent Course Development Committee, Webinar Committee, and Annual Awards Committee. She is the current editor of ISSTD News and an ISSTD Professional Training Program faculty member. Through these clinical and professional platforms, Dr. Arbuthnott is a strong advocate for compassionate and effective trauma- and dissociation-informed care.
Fees for in-person and teleseminar courses include continuing education (CE) credits. Continuing education credits are available for all teleseminar courses as well as US and Canada-based in-person courses.
Please note that APA certificates will automatically populate upon the completion of the course. ASWB certificates are manually processed by staff and will be sent to eligible participants approximately two weeks after the course closure date.
Available Credit
- 22.50 APAThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
- 22.50 ASWB ACEThe International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), #1744, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/20/2024 – 08/20/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 22.50 continuing education credits.
- 22.50 ISSTD Certificate ProgramThis program is eligible for 22.50 credits in the ISSTD Certificate Program. No certificate of completion is generated for this type of credit.
Price
"Your Price" above reflects your final price based on your membership status.
ISSTD Cancellation Policy: Cancellations will only be accepted up to 14 days prior to the first course session. Cancellations are subject to a $45 cancellation fee plus the cost of copyrighted materials. The course fee is not refundable if you withdraw from the course less than 14 days before the start of the course. Once the course starts no new students can be accepted more than one week after the course begins. Please note that to receive ASWB ACE credit, all sessions must be attended. All materials used for this course are subject to copyright laws and are not for duplication or distribution by course participants. Fees must be submitted with registration, and must be submitted in US dollars.
The cost of the copyrighted materials for this course is $30.
Required Hardware/software
ISSTD uses Zoom for our live teleseminar courses. Information on system requirements can be found here. A guide to live teleseminar courses is available below and in each session of the course in the course portal.
