Children Recovering from Complex Trauma: From Wound to Scar

Children Recovering from Complex Trauma: From Wound to Scar draws on the latest knowledge and research on complex trauma in children, as well as the authors’ expertise, in order to outline a trauma-sensitive approach to these children and their parents.

The first part of the book describes the emotional and relational dynamics underlying these children’s behaviour. The second part of the book offers a glimpse behind the scenes of the authors' psychotherapy practice, elaborating the processes of change and growth that can enable developmental recovery ‘from wound to scar’ in children who have experienced complex trauma. As such, the book aims to ‘demystify’ what psychotherapy with a traumatised child may look like, as well as offer insights and tools which can support carers in their daily interactions with these children.

This book will be of great use to the adoptive parents and foster carers of children who have experienced complex trauma, and the care professionals (e.g., teachers, foster care workers) who work with them.

Nicole Vliegen is Full Professor in Clinical Psychology at KU Leuven, Belgium, where she heads the postgraduate training programmes in Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy and Infant Mental Health. She is a licensed psychodynamic child psychotherapist, and heads the team of psychodynamic child psychotherapists at PraxisP, the clinical centre of KU Leuven.

Eileen Tang is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Clinical Psychology at KU Leuven, Belgium, and Assistant Professor in Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. She is a licensed psychodynamic child psychotherapist and is part of the team of psychodynamic child psychotherapists at PraxisP, the clinical centre of KU Leuven.

Patrick Meurs is Director of the Sigmund Freud Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, and Full Professor in Educational Sciences at the University of Kassel, Germany, where he is a staff member of the postgraduate training programmes in Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy and Psychoanalytically informed Counselling for teachers. He is also Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology at KU Leuven, Belgium, where he is a staff member of the postgraduate training programme in Psychodynamic Child Psychotherapy.