Abstract Working with severely traumatized people, people on the edge of life and death, demands an intense amount of focus, energy, and skill. The process is challenging for both the client and the therapist, requiring both to deal with serious issues for extended periods of time.
This workshop will focus on working with clients whose self-harm and suicidality are chronic, and complex. It will cover some ways to understand the purpose behind some of these behaviors, and how the therapist and client navigate the danger and collaborate to discover ways to be able to live and heal. We will highlight the ethical issues commonly encountered in working with this population, in practice, record-keeping, and varying levels of interventions. Also, we will discuss the impact on the therapists who work with these people, transference and countertransference issues, feeling 'deskilled', and the need for support for the therapist.
Timed Outline 30 Minutes - Introduction and Assessment 30 Minutes - Similarity & Difference between PTSD & DID, Impact of Intersectionality 30 Minutes - 6 Reasons People with Dissociative Disorders Self-harm 30 Minutes - Break 15 minutes - Shame: What helps 15 minutes - Ethics: APA Ethics code, application to self harm and suicidality in this population 30 minutes - Transference & Countertransference 30 minutes - Completed suicide: Impact on therapist
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to:
Explain the difference between self harm and suicidal feelings in dissociative and non-dissociative people
Use their countertransference to help their client learn to manage their self harm and suicidal feelings
Identify resources within the client that work towards life and health
Identify and work with ethical issues relating to suicide risk, record-keeping, and interventions
Plan for their own self-care while working with clients who deal with self harm and suicidal feelings
