Current Approaches to the Treatment of Trauma
John Briere, PhD
Format: MP3 Audio file download

When trauma involves child abuse and neglect, and/or when there have been multiple and prolonged traumas in adulthood, the outcome may involve not only posttraumatic stress, but also dysfunctional relational schema, affect dysregulation, and overdeveloped avoidance responses. In this plenary presentation, Dr. Briere will outline the various short- and long-term effects of exposure to trauma, and describes the central principles of modern trauma therapy. Among the treatment components discussed will be (a) processing of relational schema through the therapeutic relationship, (b) titrated exposure to traumatic memories, (c) cognitive processing, (d) affect regulation training, and (e) the growing role of mindfulness interventions. He will briefly discuss ways in which characteristics of the trauma (e.g., recent versus long-past, interpersonal versus non-interpersonal, single event versus repeated victimization) determine the type and extent of treatment provided.

During and at the conclusion of this session, the attendee will be able to:

• Describe the lasting effects of trauma;
• List at least three major trauma-focused treatment components;
• Explain why affect regulation training is often helpful for survivors of severe or complex trauma; and
• Discuss the potential helpfulness of mindfulness interventions for psychological trauma.

John Briere, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Director of the Psychological Trauma Program at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and Center Director of the USC Adolescent Trauma Training Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. A past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), he is recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the Robert S.