Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Treating Complex Trauma in Adolescents and Young Adults 1St Edition Briere John N Lanktree Cheryl B Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
Treating Complex Trauma in Adolescents and Young Adults 1St Edition Briere John N Lanktree Cheryl B Online Ebook Texxtbook Full Chapter PDF
https://ebookmeta.com/product/developmental-couple-therapy-for-
complex-trauma-a-manual-for-therapists-1st-edition-heather-b-
macintosh/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/emdr-scripted-protocols-and-
summary-sheets-treating-trauma-in-somatic-and-medical-related-
conditions-marilyn-luber/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/functions-of-one-complex-
variable-i-2nd-edition-john-b-conway/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/treating-self-destructive-
behaviors-in-trauma-survivors-a-clinician-s-guide-2nd-edition-
lisa-ferentz/
PEERS for Young Adults Social Skills Training for
Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social
Challenges 1st Edition Elizabeth Laugeson
https://ebookmeta.com/product/peers-for-young-adults-social-
skills-training-for-adults-with-autism-spectrum-disorder-and-
other-social-challenges-1st-edition-elizabeth-laugeson/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/young-adults-and-active-
citizenship-towards-social-inclusion-through-adult-education-1st-
edition-natasha-kersh/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/classical-analysis-in-the-complex-
plane-1st-edition-robert-b-burckel/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/youth-technology-governance-
experience-adults-understanding-young-people-1st-edition-liam-
grealy-editor/
https://ebookmeta.com/product/treating-trauma-and-addiction-with-
the-felt-sense-polyvagal-model-a-bottom-up-approach-1st-edition-
jan-winhall/
FOR INFORMATION: Copyright © 2012 by SAGE Publications, Inc.
RJ506.P55B746 2012
Acquisitions Editor: Kassie Graves 618.92′8521—dc22 2011009800
Editorial Assistant: Courtney Munz
Production Editor: Kelle Schillaci
Copy Editor: Mark Bast
Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd.
Proofreader: Joyce Li
Indexer: Maria Sosnowski
Cover Designer: Candice Harman
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Marketing Manager: Katharine Winter
Permissions Editor: Adele Hutchinson 11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
1. Introduction 1
Background 1
The MCAVIC-USC Experiment 3
Overview of ITCT-A 3
xi
xii——Treating Complex Trauma in Adolescents and Young Adults
T his guide has been developed to help clinicians evaluate and treat adoles-
cents and young adults who have experienced repeated, extended, and/
or severe traumatization. We take the clinician through the process of assess-
ment, target prioritization, selection of appropriate treatment components, and
the actual conduct of therapy. The approach described in this book, Integrative
Treatment of Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT-A), is inherently cus-
tomizable: its various treatment components are meant to be adapted to the
specific history, symptoms, and problems experienced by each given client. Yet,
although it does not assume that “one size fits all,” it provides a specific, orga-
nized approach to the treatment of complex trauma, regardless of which com-
ponents are ultimately applied. In the appendices of this book are various
forms, handouts, and group treatment examples that will assist the clinician in
using ITCT-A with his or her clients. Some of these materials are also available
at no charge at johnbriere.com in a slightly larger format.
Background
1
2——Treating Complex Trauma in Adolescents and Young Adults
Overview of ITCT-A
The core components of the adolescent version of ITCT include the following:
I n this chapter, we provide a brief overview of the social context and psy-
chological outcomes associated with complex trauma in adolescents and
young adults. Most traumatized youth will not experience all of the difficul-
ties described here; many, nevertheless, will encounter a significant combina-
tion of adverse effects. More detailed discussions of the psychosocial contexts
and effects of complex trauma relevant to adolescents and others can be
found in Briere and Spinazzola (2005), Cook et al. (2005), and Courtois and
Ford (2009).
Although many of the effects of trauma exposure are chronic in nature, and
may not require rapid intervention, others are more severe and potentially
endanger the client’s immediate well-being, if not his or her life. Some of
these issues reflect the youth’s environment; his or her victimization may be
ongoing, as opposed to solely in the past, and his or her social context may
continue to be invalidating or dangerous. Other issues may involve the
impact of trauma on the client’s personality, internal experience, and rela-
tionships with others: he or she may be suicidal, abusing major substances,
or involved in various forms of risky behavior.
7
8——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
Environmental Risks
When complex trauma has occurred within the context of socioeconomic
deprivation or social marginalization, it is unlikely that conditions will have
changed substantially at the time of treatment. The adolescent who was
abused in the context of caretaker neglect or nonsupport, or who was
assaulted as a result of gang activity—and who lives with poverty, inade-
quate schools, social discrimination, and/or hard-to-access medical and
psychological resources—is often struggling not only with a trauma history
and social deprivation, but also with the likelihood of future adversities. The
fact that negative economic and social conditions increase the risk of inter-
personal victimization has direct implications for treatment: as we will dis-
cuss later in this guide, optimal assistance to such youth often requires not
only effective therapy, but also advocacy, collaboration, and systems inter-
vention (e.g., Saxe, Ellis, & Kaplow, 2007).
The traumatized adolescent’s environment also may be noteworthy for the
continued presence of those involved in his or her victimization. If the client
was sexually or physically victimized by an adult or peer, there is often little
reason to assume that the danger from such individuals has passed. Hate crimes
such as assaults on minorities, the homeless, and gay, lesbian, or transgendered
youth may not stop merely because law enforcement has been notified. As is
true for adverse social conditions, the continued presence of perpetrators in the
adolescent’s environment may require the clinician to do more than render
treatment—ultimately, the primary concern is the client’s immediate safety.
Self-Endangerment
In addition to dangers present in the social and physical environment, the
adolescent may engage in behaviors that threaten his or her own safety.
Although the youth may appear to be “acting out,” “self-destructive,” “bor-
derline,” or “conduct-disordered,” these behaviors often represent adaptations
to, or effects of, prior victimization (Runtz & Briere, 1986; Singer et al., 1995).
The primary self-endangering behaviors seen in youth suffering from com-
plex trauma exposure are suicidal behavior, intentional (but nonsuicidal)
self-injury, major substance abuse, eating disorders, dysfunctional sexual
behavior, excessive risk-taking, and involvement in physical altercations
(Briere & Spinazzola, 2005; Cook et al., 2005). The traumatized adolescent
or young adult may not only seek out violent ways to externalize distress, but
also may be further traumatized when others fight back (e.g., the aggression-
retaliation cycle associated with gang activity) or may become involved in the
juvenile justice system, with its own potential negative effects. He or she also
may experience less obviously endangering relational difficulties, such as
CHAPTER 2 Complex Trauma in Adolescence and Young Adulthood——9
· Anxiety and depression, which may range from brief symptom states
(e.g., panic attacks or depressed mood) to full-blown disorders
10——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
We refer the reader to the following literature reviews for detailed infor-
mation on these trauma-symptom relationships: Briere, 2004; Briere &
Spinazzola, 2009; Cole & Putnam, 1992; Cook et al., 2005; Courtois & Ford,
2009; Herman, Perry, & van der Kolk, 1989; Janoff-Bulman, 1992; Myers
et al., 2002; Putnam, 2003; van der Kolk, Roth, Pelcovitz, Sunday, &
Spinazzola, 2005.
These various symptoms and coping strategies are sometimes referred
to as “complex PTSD” (Herman, 1992), “disorders of extreme stress”
(DESNOS; van der Kolk et al., 2005), or as evidence of a “developmental
trauma disorder” (van der Kolk, 2005). The breadth and extent of such
outcomes generally requires a therapeutic approach that includes multiple
treatment modalities and interventions, as opposed to solely, for example,
cognitive therapy or therapeutic exposure (Courtois & Ford, 2009). ITCT-A
allows the clinician to address these various difficulties in a relatively struc-
tured way that is—nevertheless—responsive to the specific clinical presenta-
tion and needs of the individual adolescent client.
3
Assessment
13
14——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
Most obviously, the first focus of assessment is whether the client is in immi-
nent danger or at risk of hurting others. In cases of ongoing interpersonal
violence, it is also very important to determine whether the client is in danger
of victimization from others in the immediate future. Most generally, the
hierarchy of assessment is as follows:
The first goal of trauma intervention, when any of these issues is present,
is to ensure the physical safety of the client or others, often through referral
or triage to emergency medical or psychiatric services, law enforcement, child
protection, or social services. It is also important, whenever possible, to
involve supportive and less-affected family members, friends, or others who
can assist the client in this process.
At a less acute level, questions include the following:
After evaluating immediate safety risks, typically next considered is the cli-
ent’s trauma history. Common types of trauma are the following:
CHAPTER 3 Assessment——15
standardized way. The reader will find in Appendix I of this book a version
of the Initial Trauma Review (Briere, 2004)—hereafter referred to as the
ITR-A—adapted for adolescent and young adult clients. We recommend that
this trauma exposure measure be used in ITCT-A, since it covers most of the
major traumatic experiences likely to be encountered by adolescents and
young adults.
Interview-Based Assessment
When formal psychological testing is unavailable or inappropriate,
the clinician may have to assess various potential trauma impacts dur-
ing the course of the interview, ideally touching on all the potential
outcomes described earlier. Although interview-based symptom reviews
can be quite helpful, they are by nature relatively subjective, and it is
quite easy for the assessor to overlook certain symptoms or problems
and/or to be unclear about whether the level of symptomatology or dif-
ficulties disclosed by the individual reaches clinically meaningful levels.
On the other hand, assessment questions that are integrated within the
clinical interview may be less disruptive and more acceptable to those
traumatized youth who find psychological testing intimidating or not
relevant to their experience. As noted later, ITCT-A provides a specific
symptom assessment template, the Assessment-Treatment Flowchart,
that guides the interview process, whether or not it is augmented with
psychological testing.
18——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
Psychological Testing
Trauma symptom assessment using psychological tests has several advan-
tages. It is more objective and structured, in that it does not rely on the clini-
cian to articulate the full range of possible trauma outcomes and accurately
interpret the client’s responses to questions. Further, when tests are standard-
ized and normed (a basic requirement of modern psychometric instruments),
the youth’s self-report of symptomatology can be compared to a reference
group of other youths in the general population, so that his or her symptom-
atology can be evaluated for its severity relative to “normal” respondents.
As well, in some cases traumatized youth will respond more honestly and
with less avoidance when they are endorsing symptoms on a pencil-and-
paper measure, as opposed to a face-to-face inquiry by the therapist. Finally,
some young clients find it validating that an independent, standardized test
inquires about specific experiences and symptoms they have undergone,
with the implication that such issues are relatively commonplace and not
necessarily “about them,” per se.
(a) the assessment will be helpful to the client, in terms of allowing the clinician
to understand the client and his or her difficulties, and thus provide better,
more targeted, treatment;
(b) the assessor and the testing environment are not dangerous to the client, either
physically (e.g., through physical assaults, sexual exploitation, or punishment)
or psychologically (e.g., through criticism, judgment, or rejection); and
(c) the client has the right to discontinue testing at any point.
Also discussed should be the possibility of some (typically small and tem-
porary) exacerbation of distress when traumas or symptoms are being
evaluated, and any possible uses of the test data in legal contexts, if relevant.
It is our clinical experience that traumatized youth are much more forth-
coming and less defensive in their test responses if they feel safe and sup-
ported, are allowed to ask questions and, to some extent, control their
participation in the testing process, and if they believe that the testing has an
actual helpful purpose, as opposed to just being an institutional requirement.
CHAPTER 3 Assessment——19
maximized, and the child’s actual clinical status can be triangulated by virtue
of multiple sources of information (Lanktree et al., 2008; Nader, 2007).
Caretaker-report will not be appropriate, of course, when the client is an
emancipated youth or when the caretakers are abusive, neglectful, or
unavailable.
UCLA PTSD Index for DSM-IV (Pynoos, Rodriguez, Steinberg, Stuber, &
Frederick, 1998). An updated version of what was formerly described as the
Reaction Index, the UPID is a 48-item interview that can be administered
to children and adolescents aged 7–18 years. It evaluates exposure to a
variety of traumatic events and provides a PTSD diagnosis, as well as con-
taining additional items that assess associated features such as guilt, aggres-
sion, and dissociation.
Of course, it is not only the youth who should be assessed. Also important
are factors impinging on the caretaker’s capacity to parent their child. These
include his or her
In addition, Gil and Drewes (2005) suggest that assessment of the client’s
and family’s culture(s) should include information on family values, spiritu-
ality, child-rearing principles, and culture-specific ways that families resolve
conflict, express anger, and deal with aggression.
(Continued)
24——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
(Continued)
14. Substance abuse A-S, C-R, BASC-2, PAI-A, TSI, TSI-2, DAPS
16. Sexual concerns and/or A-S, C-R, TSCC, TSSA, TSI, TSI-2
dysfunctional behaviors
Note
1. It is sometimes the case that the caretaker has only occasional visits with the
youth, is uninvolved with his or her care, or is a new foster parent. In such instances,
caretaker report may be inaccurate or even misleading (Briere, 2005).
4
Completing and Using the
Assessment-Treatment Flowchart
for Adolescents (ATF-A)
Assessment-Treatment Flowchart
25
26——SECTION I Complex Trauma Outcomes and Assessment
This form not only helps guide the initial treatment plan, but also
provides a serial reassessment of symptoms and possible interventions on
a regular basis thereafter. Unfortunately, because the development of
standardized measures for posttraumatic outcomes in adolescents is in its
relative infancy, not all problems listed in the ATF-A have corresponding
psychological tests that aid in their evaluation. As well, some clinicians
choose not to conduct psychological testing. In either of these instances,
the clinician must rely on the youth’s self-report, his or her behavior and
responses in the intake session and in therapy, parent report, data from
other systems (e.g., legal, academic, child welfare), and generalized clini-
cal impressions to complete the ATF-A. In nontesting situations, each
ATF-A item should be used as a prompt to ask about the relevant
domain. For example, item # 6 (“Low self-esteem”) would involve inter-
view questions about not liking self, feeling that one is bad or unaccept-
able, etc.
Completion of the ATF-A thus proceeds in two steps:
(1) At intake: Review all assessment data and/or the adoles cent’s
interview-based report of symptoms and problems, parent or caretaker
interview-based report of the adolescent’s symptoms and problems, col-
lateral data such as school reports, other caregiver (e.g., health care profes-
sionals, other therapists) feedback, juvenile justice reports, information
from social workers (if abuse or neglect has prompted assignment to the
child protection system), etc. Consents for communication with various
professionals should be obtained from whomever is the holder of the
privilege, i.e., the young-adult client, the caretaker if the client is a minor,
or the relevant child protection worker or other professional if the client
has been placed in a foster home or residential treatment and is in the
custody of the court.
(2) Proceed through each of the 19 items of the ATF-A (the 17 items just
described, plus two additional “other” items when additional issues are
identified) in the “Intake” column, rating the treatment priority (ranging
from 1 [“Not currently a problem, do not treat”] to 4 [“Most problematic,
requires immediate attention”]) for each item based on the data collected at
step 1. In many cases, ATF-A treatment priority ratings, and thus associated
treatment goals and treatment approaches, can be discussed with the client,
with his or her input solicited. Such discussions emphasize the therapist-
client partnership and may be quite beneficial in empowering the client and
facilitating the therapeutic relationship.
CHAPTER 4 Completing and Using the ATF-A——27
An Example of an ATF-A
Assessment Period
Intake
Intake
Date: 5/10/10 8/11/10
Problem Area Tx Priority Tx Priority Tx Priority Tx Priority
15. Grief 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S)
16. Sexual concerns 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S)
and/or dysfunctional
behaviors
17. Self-mutilation 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S)
18. Other: __________ 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S)
19. Other: __________ 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S) 1 2 3 4 (S)
TAIDE- JA AVIOELÄMÄÄ.
»Kultani!
Toisessa kirjeessä:
*****
»Sinä Missen ainoa kulta, tulen juuri opettajani luota, olen vielä
aivan ilon vallassa siitä mitä siellä sain kokea ja nähdä. Katsos asia
on se, kuten kerroin olen ollut hirmuisen ahkera, luopunut ihan
omasta itsestäni ja ollut vaan — koulutyttö. Lukenut a.b.c. aamusta
iltaan, vieläpä yölläkin, aivan kuivan kuivaa mekaanillista työtä jota
pränttäsin itseeni saadakseni kieleni saksalaiseksi. Tunnissani olen
ollut yhtä kuiva ja mekanillinen ynnä suljettu. Olin usein tuskissani
tuntui kun en pääsisi hiuskarvaa edemmäksi. Viime kerralla sanoi
vihdoin opettajani että nyt olemme niin pitkällä että voimme jotain
helppoa proosaa alkaa lukemaan, jotain »Kindergeschichte»
[lastentarinaa] minä vihdoin protesteerasin, sanoin että hän aivan
henkisesti murhaa minut ja pyysin että saisin itse jotain valita, —
johon hän vihdoin suostui. — Otin siis Romeo ja Julian. — Tulin
sinne sitten tänään kirjoineni ja ne nähtyään, hänen suunsa meni
hymyyn, kummalliseen hiljaiseen hymyyn ja muuhun puuttumatta
hän sanoi alkakaamme — ja me aloimme. — En tahdo nyt kertoa
hänen kummastustaan ja ihmetystään sen enempää sanon vaan
että preussilainen kunniansa on kovin arka, en luule että hän vielä
koskaan on oppilastansa tambuuriin saattanut, vielä vähemmän
auttanut kappaa hänen päälleen, — tänään hän sen teki, vieläpä
kumarsi ylpeän selkänsä ja haki galoschini, — ja siitä minä olen
ylpein! Työni menee eteenpäin ja minä tunnen itseni onnelliseksi,
ensi kertaa, olen iloinen, oikein noin sisällisesti, siitä saakka kun
kultani luota lähdin.» —
»En minä kulta ole sinua unohtanut, mutta minä olen ollut niin
suruissani, niin kovin suruissani, etten ole jaksanut kirjoittaa. Koko
elämä on tuntunut kuin yksi ainoa suuri tuska. Minun terveyteni on
varmaan iäksi päivin mennyt. Ja mitä on elämä ilman terveyttä ja
työtä. Minä en enää niinkuin muinoin kestää pitkiä ponnistuksia.
Vieraan kielen omaaminen ei ole helppoa ja harva sen on perille
vienyt. Minä kuitenkin mielelläni sitä tahtoisin (ja olenkin suuresti
edistynyt), sillä minä en tahdo kauvan enää näytellä, muutaman
vuoden vaan, ja kuitenkin tahtoisin silläaikaa koota jotain kokoon, ei
suurta summaa mutta kuitenkin muutaman kymmenen tuhatta ja
semmoista voi vaan suurissa maissa. Siis olen ollut kovin ahkera,
hyvin vähän käynyt ulkona valmistuakseni niin pian kuin
mahdollista, lukenut yöt ja päivät ja vähä vähällä aina maannut pari
päivää kipeänä. Minun kunnianhimoni ei sallinut että puhuisin
huonoa kieltä, sitä paitsi ajattelin, että minulla aina tulevaisuudessa
on siitä suuri hyöty ja tie avoinna suurille näyttämöille. Sitten kun
olin varma itseni kanssa ja ilmoitin itseni valmiiksi, sitten alkoivat
kaikki nuo intrigit, joita on ollut niin paljon ja usein naurettavia.
Kerron yhden niin saat aavistuksen kaikesta. Tohtori Blumenthal
joka oli kuullut minusta (hän on Lessing teaatterin direktööri) tulee
luokseni (hän oli jo ennen tuttu) ja kysyy jos en tahtoisi näytellä
Noraa. Minä tahdoin tietysti. Hän pyysi että vissinä päivänä kävisin
luonansa. Tein sen, B. oli erinomaisen ystävällinen — tulin myös
esitellyksi rouvalleen, ja kaikki oli miten voin arvata hyvin. Kun
sitten hänen vanha rouvansa (hän on vanhempi miestä) saa sen
päähänsä tulla — mustasukkaiseksi! Ajattele kuinka hassua! ja
mitä kaikkea heidän välillään lienee tapahtunut en tiedä, kaikessa
tapauksessa B. kovin geneerattuna tulee luokseni ja selittää että se
ei nyt voi tapahtua. Uh! sitä todellista naisellisuutta! Ja senlaista
harmia on paljon ollut, ja minua kovin rasittanut. Kun sitten vielä
vuoteella ollessani (koko pääsiäisenhän olin kipeä) otin vastaan
sen suuren rollin »Freie Bühneltä» en tuntenut rajaa työlleni. Päivät
eivät riittäneet, luin kaiket yöt ja päivällä harjoitin teatterissa monta
tuntia peräkanaa. Sillä se »Aufgabe» [tehtävä oli pääosa A.
Fietgerin draamassa »Jumalan armosta»] ei ollut helppo! —
Makasin pari päivää kipeänä ja aloitin taasen, minä tahdoin jaksaa
ja niin kokosin viimeiset voimani ja tein työtä samalla vauhdilla
kunnes hurjalla surulla aloin tuntea että en enään jaksanut 2 viime
näytöstä harjoittaa yhtä haavaa. Niin väsymys vähitellen minut
musersi kunnes prof. Krause absolutisti kielsi. Kun minä en
vieläkään totellut aikoi hän kirjoittaa sinulle ja pyytää sinua
kieltämään, — mutta sitä minä en sallinut. Hän sanoi että sillä
tavalla »reichten Sie sich zu Grunde, und ist keinen arzt mehr
möglich Ihnen wieder Lebenskräfte zu geben.» Minä pysähdyin,
lähetin rollin Schlentherille ja kerroin mitä lääkäri sanoi. Ja siihen
raukesi sitten se unelma. Oh! se on niin kurjaa. En ymmärrä kuinka
pääsisin entisiin voimiini jälleen. Ja kuitenkin minun täytyy, minun
täytyy, minä tahdon päästä eteenpäin, minun täytyy tulla terveeksi!
— Oh! kuinka minä kadun että olen niin paljon antanut Suom.
teaatterille! Mitä minulla nyt siitä on? Kehnoutta, kateutta ja ilkeyttä,
se on palkinto. Krause (sama joka myös viimeksi kun ei enään
mikään auttanut oli kutsuttu keisari Fredrik vainajan luo) hän on niin
viisas, niin hieno niin erinomainen lääkäri. Hän pitää paljon
Missestä ja on kovasti intreseerattu harrastuksistani täällä. Hoitaa
minua erinomaisesti. — Toki ei hän anna mitään lääkkeitä, muuta
kuin rautavettä jota juon 2 suurta putelia päivässä, sitäpaitsi juon
kannun maitoa päivässä, yks' suuri lasi joka tunti. 2 kert. päivässä
kylmä kylpy ja sitten päälliseksi käyn joka päivä luonaan, jolloin hän
elektriseeraa koko ruumiin ja kaulani, tiedätkö, sisäpuolelta sondien
kautta jotka suun kautta viedään sisään. Krause sanoo, ettei hän
vielä koskaan ole hoitanut naista, joka ylellisten rasitusten kautta
niin kokonaan olisi tärvellyt fysiikinsä kuin minä. Krause tahtoo, että
jättäisin näyttelemisen syksyyn. Ja kai sen teenkin niin kovin
alentavalta kun se tuntuukin, kun olin niin tyhmä, että edeltäkäsin
ilmaisin aikomukseni. Katson kuitenkin vielä vähän ympärilleni ja
sitten päätän. — Niin, siinä on nyt kaikki suuret unelmat yhtenä
rauniona! — En minä ole niin erinomainen kun sinä luulet, eikä
minun energiani niin suuri kuin luulet. Enhän edes tätä nyt ole
voinut läpi viedä. ‒ ‒ ‒