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Treating Self-Destructive Behaviours in Trauma Survivors: An Effective, Strength-based, De-pathologizing Model: Video Course

Treating Self-Destructive Behaviours in Trauma Survivors: An Effective, Strength-based, De-pathologizing Model: Video Course
Many clients with insecure attachment issues; histories of prior trauma, abuse or neglect; or overwhelming developmental stressors often lack the ability to engage in appropriate affect regulation. As therapists, when we work with these adolescent or adult clients, we notice the strong parallels between these histories of trauma and self-destructive behaviours including eating disorders, manifestations of addictions, or acts of self-mutilation.
Video course packs, including all notes are available immediately on booking. The access links are part of your ticket. Online video access remains available for 1 year from the date you receive the video course.
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There is no known commercial support for this programme.
This course does not qualify for CE credits.
£ 145.00

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Course length in hours
Full course information
In this intellectually-stimulating and practically-oriented seminar, renowned therapist Lisa Ferentz explains why standard safety contracts do not work for such clients and why the alternative new protocol CARESS has proven successful in treating these clients effectively to bring about lasting change.
We will learn how acts of self-harm are attempts to communicate trauma and pain narratives as well as cope with them, self-soothe, and sometimes numb out the unresolved emotional pain, and the negative, distorted thoughts that can overwhelm and de-stabilize.
In this two-part presentation we’ll explore key components that go a long way towards explaining why traumatized clients engage in self-harm. We’ll look at:
- Both the secure and insecure dynamics of early childhood attachment
- Process how the attachment pattern a child is given connects to their ability or inability to regulate their emotions
- Look at the uniqueness and limitations of the adolescent brain
- Explore how the confluence of these variables makes clients vulnerable to turning to self-destructive behaviours to navigate their pain
Participants will learn how to take a strengths-based, de-pathologized approach to treating self-harm, how to incorporate psycho-education, and how to help clients understand and short-circuit the cyclical nature of self-harm by addressing the role that triggers, anxiety, negative thoughts, feelings, and dissociation play. This cycle also creates many opportunities to intervene – offering clients cognitive, somatic, visual, and creative ways to create healthy affect regulation through cognitive reframing and safe body work.
We will then explore in detail the new protocol called CARESS, that gives clients alternatives when they get the impulse to hurt themselves. These strategies will help them find the release/create the ability to self-soothe – something that self-harm does for them – without evoking guilt, shame, or further injury to the body. This approach helps clients to organically and authentically extinguish self-harm by replacing it with behaviours that are genuinely healthy, soothing, and healing. Clinical case examples, videos, clients’ writings and artwork will also be incorporated into the workshop.
Agenda
DAY ONE
1) Exploring the connection between attachment and affect regulation
- the four attachment styles and their impact on child development
- the challenge of attaching to unavailable or abusive caretakers
- living in a state of affect dysregulation and the impact of hypo- and hyper-arousal
2) Understanding the adolescent brain
- developmental stressors of adolescence
- why the adolescent brain is different from an adult brain
- the developmental challenges of adolescence
3) Working with the strengths-based perspective
- the advantages to de-pathologizing acts of self-harm
- understanding trauma-re-enactment syndrome and the meta-communication of self-harm
- why clients engage in self-destructive behaviours
- key concepts when treating self-destructive behaviours
DAY TWO
1) The cycle of self-destructive behaviours and treatment interventions
- exploring triggers and how to navigate them with journaling and escape clauses
- exploring negative cognitions and intervening by enhancing self-compassion, re-framing and de-coding meta-communication
- identifying negative affect and intervening by installing safety, enhancing containment, and accessing somatic resourcing
- understanding escalating anxiety and intervening with breathwork
- Addressing dissociation with choice, and re-grounding protocol
2) Incorporating CARESS
- Why standard safety contracts don’t work and what to do instead
- incorporating CARESS and eliminating the power struggles in treatment
3) Addressing the positive and negative outcomes associated with self-harm
- working with endorphins
- addressing shame
- decreasing emotional vulnerability with boundaries and assertiveness
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the four potential attachment patterns in parent-child development and the impact they have on affect regulation versus affect dysregulation.
- Describe the developmental milestones and challenges of adolescence and explain the unique aspects of the adolescent brain and its vulnerability to self-destructive behaviours
- Identify at least five reasons why teens and adults engage in self-destructive behaviours
- Describe at least five benefits to the strengths-based perspective when treating acts of self-harm
- Describe a chronic cycle of self-harm and the ways in which triggering events, negative cognitions and affect, dissociation and anxiety influence the process
- Implement at least 5 creative strategies that help clients address triggering, distorted cognitions, emotional overwhelm or dissociation
- Describe and implement CARESS, an alternative to standard safety contracts
- Identify at least three reasons why CARESS is a more effective approach to helping clients navigate the impulse to engage in self-harm
References
Brophy K, Brähler E, Hinz A, Schmidt S, Körner A (2019) The role of self-compassion in the relationship between attachment, depression, and quality of life. Journal of Affective Disorders. Jan 1;260:45-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.08.066
Brown, L., Belli, G., et al (2019) A review of the role of negative cognitions about oneself, others and the world in the treatment of PTSD. J of Cognitive Therapy Research. 43(1) 143-173
Buckley, T., Punkanen, M and Ogden, P. (2018) The role of the body in fostering resilience; a sensorimotor psychotherapy perspective. Journal of Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy. 13 (4) 225-233
Hauber, Kristen, Boon, A and Vermeiren, R.(2019) Non-suicidal Self-injury in Clinical Practice. Frontiers of Psychology, March 7, 10:502
Millon, E, Alqueza, K et al (2022) Non-suicidal Self-injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Among adolescent Inpatients. Journal of Child Psychiatry Human Development, June 21 : 10
Persano, Humberto (2022) Self-Harm. International Journal of Psychoanalysis. Dec 103 (6) 1089-1103
© nscience 2023 / 2024
What's included in this course
- Presented by world-class speaker(s)
- Handouts and video recording
- 6 hrs of professionally produced lessons
- 1 year access to video recorded version
- CPD Certificate
- Join from anywhere in the world
In this intellectually-stimulating and practically-oriented seminar, renowned therapist Lisa Ferentz explains why standard safety contracts do not work for such clients and why the alternative new protocol CARESS has proven successful in treating these clients effectively to bring about lasting change.
We will learn how acts of self-harm are attempts to communicate trauma and pain narratives as well as cope with them, self-soothe, and sometimes numb out the unresolved emotional pain, and the negative, distorted thoughts that can overwhelm and de-stabilize.
Learning objectives
- Identify the four potential attachment patterns in parent-child development and the impact they have on affect regulation versus affect dysregulation.
- Describe the developmental milestones and challenges of adolescence and explain the unique aspects of the adolescent brain and its vulnerability to self-destructive behaviours
- Identify at least five reasons why teens and adults engage in self-destructive behaviours
- Describe at least five benefits to the strengths-based perspective when treating acts of self-harm
- Describe a chronic cycle of self-harm and the ways in which triggering events, negative cognitions and affect, dissociation and anxiety influence the process
- Implement at least 5 creative strategies that help clients address triggering, distorted cognitions, emotional overwhelm or dissociation
- Describe and implement CARESS, an alternative to standard safety contracts
- Identify at least three reasons why CARESS is a more effective approach to helping clients navigate the impulse to engage in self-harm

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