The Concise Guide to the Assessment and Treatment of Trauma-Related Dissociation

Dissociation is one of the common sequelae of trauma, yet few clinicians have received training in evidence-based assessment and treatment of trauma-related dissociation (TRD). This book provides a concise overview of trauma-related dissociation, issues around misdiagnosis, methods for assessment, and guidance on treatment planning.

Trauma-related symptoms and disorders are often overlooked or misconceptualized by mental health professionals. Failure to correctly diagnose and treat trauma-related dissociation can lead to prolonged suffering and a range of costs to individual clients and their loved ones, as well as to the health care system and society at large. Trauma-related dissociation is a symptom in a range of psychiatric disorders and is often associated with severe symptomatology and dysfunction, yet it can be successfully resolved if recognized and appropriately treated.

This book addresses the lack of adequate training and knowledge about TRD by providing a systematic overview of methods for assessing it and a discussion of using assessment results to guide treatment planning. It provides a concise overview of conceptualizations of TRD and the reasons it is often overlooked or misdiagnosed, psychological disorders in which TRD is a key symptom, etiological theories of dissociation, the application of assessment data in treatment planning, issues specific to treatment of children and adolescents, and more topics that are imperative to understanding trauma-related dissociation.

Bethany L. Brand, PhD, specializes in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative disorders. She has over 30 years of clinical experience stemming from training at Johns Hopkins Hospital and George Washington University Hospital, a postdoctoral fellowship at Sheppard Pratt Health System's Trauma Disorders program, and a private practice in Towson, Maryland. Dr. Brand has been awarded many clinical, research, writing, and teaching awards. As a professor of psychology at Towson University, she is sought after for media interviews including by National Public Radio's show Science Friday. Dr. Brand has served on three national task forces that developed guidelines for the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders. Dr. Brand conducts research on the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders, including the assessment of feigned dissociative disorders. Dr. Brand is the principal investigator on five lines of trauma-related research, including a series of large, prospective, longitudinal treatment outcome studies called the "Treatment of Patients with Dissociative Disorders" (TOP DD) study. As a result of her expertise, she frequently serves as an expert witness in state, federal, and international forensic cases, including a Supreme Court case in Australia.