Treating Complex PTSD

Understand & Treat Complex PTSD (C-PTSD): A Comprehensive Training

This in-depth training, led by Dr. J. Eric Gentry, Ph.D., LMHC, F.A.A.E.T.S., equips clinicians with the essential skills to effectively treat clients struggling with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD). Moving beyond basic PTSD treatment, this course addresses the unique and challenging symptoms associated with C-PTSD, including intense flashbacks, severe depression-like shutdowns, dissociation, relational difficulties, emotional dysregulation, chronic pain, and even psychotic symptoms.

What You'll Learn:

This course provides a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to C-PTSD treatment, focusing on a tri-phasic model to optimize client outcomes. Learn how to:

• Differentiate C-PTSD from Simple PTSD: Understand the distinct diagnostic and treatment challenges of Complex PTSD.
• Explore the Neurobiology of C-PTSD: Gain insights into how chronic trauma impacts the brain and body, leading to the spectrum of C-PTSD symptoms.
• Understand the Role of Attachment Trauma & ACEs: Learn how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and disrupted attachment patterns contribute to the development of C-PTSD and how addressing these issues can accelerate healing.
• Master Porges' Polyvagal Theory: Apply Polyvagal Theory to understand and regulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in C-PTSD clients, fostering healthy attachment and resilience.
• Address Dissociation: Identify and understand various forms of dissociation (numbing, derealization, depersonalization, etc.) as adaptive responses to trauma.
• Utilize Evidence-Based Interventions: Explore pharmacological options and the "common factors" present in effective trauma therapies.
• Implement Herman's Tri-Phasic Model: Master the application of this model for conceptualization, titration, and delivery of treatment.
• Apply Feedback Informed Therapy (FIT): Leverage FIT to enhance engagement, tailor treatment, and improve outcomes.
• Prioritize Psychoeducation: Empower survivors to honor their experiences, reduce shame, and cultivate self-compassion.
• Develop Clinician Resilience: Learn self-regulation techniques to manage your own anxiety and optimize treatment delivery.

Course Content & Key Topics:

• Preparation/Assessment/Treatment Planning/Relationship-Building:
  • Mastering ANS self-regulation for clinician well-being.
  • Maximizing positive expectancy in early intervention.
  • Informed Consent for C-PTSD.
  • Utilizing various assessment tools.
  • Effective first-session interventions.
• Stage I: Safety & Stabilization:
  • Enhancing case management and safety planning.
  • Psychoeducation and cognitive restructuring.
  • Teaching self-regulation skills (down-regulating arousal, in vivo exposure).
  • Developing generic stabilization skills.
• Stage II: Remembrance & Mourning/Trauma Resolution:
  • Direct Therapeutic Exposure with reciprocal inhibition.
  • CBT skills for reducing avoidance, shame, and distorted thinking.
  • Comparing evidence-based C-PTSD treatments.
• Stage III: Reconnection:
  • Identifying treatment goals and markers for progress.
  • Psychoeducational techniques for transitioning to a deliberate lifestyle.
  • Building post-traumatic resilience and growth.
  • Implementing Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy for moral healing.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate between simple and complex PTSD (C-PTSD).
2. Understand the neurobiology of C-PTSD.
3. Appreciate the role of attachment trauma and ACEs in C-PTSD.
4. Explain the causes of attachment trauma and its potential misdiagnosis.
5. Understand the importance of neuroplasticity and neuronal sequencing in C-PTSD treatment.
6. Recognize the role of conditioned threat response and ANS dysregulation.
7. Apply Porges’ Polyvagal Theory to C-PTSD treatment.
8. Identify dissociation symptoms as adaptations to trauma.
9. Identify evidence-based pharmacological interventions for C-PTSD.
10. Apply Herman’s Tri-Phasic Model to treatment.
11. Implement specific assessment and treatment tasks for each phase.
12. Understand symptoms of C-PTSD as adaptations to developmental trauma.
13. Utilize positive