In this series, we focus on an integrative approach to resolving attachment and dependency issues in clients with complex trauma.

Some clients are unable to maintain a stable relationship with the therapist and subsequently experiences them as hostile, uncaring, or unhelpful, and sometimes even abusive, despite the best intentions of the therapist. Conflict ensues, and the therapist may unwittingly participate by becoming defensive and withholding or by appeasing the client. We will explore the underlying evolutionary and biological origins of attachment in the face of threat and how this manifests in treatment and can serve as a basis of practical treatment approaches.

Dependency in the client are discussed at length. The reasons for intense dependency yearnings and specific ways to use the therapeutic relationship to contain and resolve this painful experience without overwhelming the client or the therapist will be discussed. A collaborative model of therapeutic relationship is shared, with implications for treatment.

At the end of this series, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the basic underlying neurobiological and evolutionary foundations of attachment and dependency problems in complex trauma;
2. Employ at least five strategies to effectively manage dependency in therapy with complex trauma survivors;
3. Describe a collaborative model for the therapeutic relationship that can be effective in containing and treating relational difficulties in clients with complex trauma;
4. Employ at least 3 interventions to facilitate a collaborative relationship;
5. List at least five ways to manage dependency in therapy.

About the Presenter

Kathy Steele, MN, CS has been in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia for over three decades, specialising in the treatment of complex trauma, dissociation, attachment difficulties, and the challenges of complicated therapies. She is an adjunct faculty at Emory University, and a Fellow and past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. Ms Steele teaches internationally and consults with individuals, groups, and trauma programs. She has received a number of awards for her clinical and published works, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from ISSTD.