The vast majority of clinicians agree that clients with complex dissociative disorder should be treated according to the three-phase model. After a careful diagnostic process and good case conceptualization, a phase of stabilization and symptom reduction usually follows. But what do we need to stabilize and for how long? Therapists often have many questions about this phase: “How do I prioritize and begin treatment? How do we engage a patient who desperately demands help, but also views me with distrust and fear? How can I be in charge of the therapy while still making a collaborative effort with the patient? How do I work with different kinds of dissociative parts, such as extremely dependent, avoidant, angry, or persecutory ones? How do I deal with different intense transference feelings and my own countertransference?”.

In recent years, there also have been colleagues who believe that it is not necessary to stabilize. They argue for an immediate focus on trauma processing. Do therapists have to stabilize at all and how do they know that they have completed enough stabilizing work in preparation for Phase 2?

In this webinar, Suzette Boon will offer practical answers to these and other questions. The first evening, she will focus on treatment that is going relatively smoothly, often with clients having not too severe attachment problems. The second evening, she will focus on the more challenging or ‘difficult’ dissociative clients. Didactic presentations, case vignettes and video clips will be included.