Responses to Trauma, Neglect and Abuse

This class presents some current issues surrounding problems in response to trauma, neglect and abuse such as PTSD as well as other related symptoms.  We will consider neurological aspects of the response to trauma, neglect and abuse by reviewing some current literature on the neurobiological impacts.  You will learn some of the current thinking about stress responses of dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation.  There are remarkable differences in stress response between gender and age as well as risk factors that greatly impact the potentiality of co-morbid disorders and even the onset of PTSD.  The DSM criteria will be described and discussed.  Regarding the impact of violence on children, we will include a discussion about how states become traits, particularly with respect to the hyperarousal and dissociative responses to trauma.  Participants will come away from this presentation with more skill in differentiating between PTSD and other disorders such as phobic or adjustment disorders.

Objectives:

1.   Participants will be able to identify at least five neurological indications of the response to violence

2.   Participants will be able to describe dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation

3.   Participants will be able to describe gender differences, common co-morbid disorders, and risk factors in survivor response to violence and onset of PTSD

4.   Participants will be able to discuss state to trait theory and specifically the neurobiological role of hyper arousal and dissociative responses to trauma

5.   Participants will be able to list and discuss six DSM criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD

6.   Participants will be able to contrast phobic problems, adjustment disorders and PTSD

Total CE Credits: 6.0 CE Credits

Training Agenda

Hour One:  Overview neurobiology of developing brain

Hour Two:  Dissociation, somatization, and Affect dysregulation

Hour Three: PTSD diagnosis, DSM criteria, historical perspective

Hour Four:  Responses to trauma, literature re: adaptation and PTSD

Hour Five: Trauma and early infancy and childhood, states and traits

Hour Six:  Question and Answer and Evaluation

Methods:      

Live Class:  Lecture discussion with overheads, and handout

Home Study/On-Line:  Study guide, posttest and evaluation, e-mail or phone Q & A

Purpose: 

Practitioners completing this offering should be better equipped to assess and provide intervention to individuals affected by trauma in childhood.  Further this home study should permit those working with adolescents and young adults to better select intervention methodologies that may produce improved outcomes as per science-based findings described in this offering.