The Finding Solid Ground Program Workbook

For those who have experienced trauma, life may sometimes feel hopeless, full of feeling too much or too little, and the world can feel like a terrifying and dangerous place. This can be especially true for those hurt by people they loved, trusted, or relied on. To escape the pain, many trauma survivors disconnect from themselves and the world, including in ways that are risky or unsafe. The good news is that survivors can heal, recover from trauma, and grow. The Finding Solid Ground Program Workbook is an invaluable guide through this important, meaningful work, providing a step-by-step approach at a pace designed to feel safe.

In this workbook, which can be used independently or in the context of psychotherapy, expert authors guide readers step by step along the path of healing from trauma, and offer specific exercises to practice daily that will help survivors feel safer and develop a grounded, worthy sense of self. This book includes the Information Sheets and Exercises that are the foundation for the Finding Solid Ground program; the companion book for therapists, Finding Solid Ground: Overcoming Obstacles in Trauma Treatment provides the theoretical, clinical, and research rationale for the program. Therapists will find that this program breaks recovery into practical and manageable steps that can be immediately implemented. Participation in the Finding Solid Ground program in the TOP DD Network study was linked with improved ability to manage emotions in healthy ways and reduced dissociation, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and self-injury.

H. Schielke, Ph.D. is the Trauma Services Development Lead for Homewood Health Centre and the Centre's Traumatic Stress Injury & Concurrent Program in Guelph, Ontario. Specialized in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders, Dr. Schielke's work is informed by post-doctoral fellowship at The Trauma Disorders Program at Sheppard Pratt Health System and involvement with the California Department of State Hospitals' Trauma-Informed Care Project. Dr. Schielke's research is focused on the treatment of trauma-related disorders, psychotherapy process, and the relational components of psychotherapy.

Bethany Brand, Ph.D., a Professor at Towson University, is an expert in trauma disorders and dissociation. She serves on international and national task forces developing guidelines for the assessment and treatment of trauma disorders. Dr. Brand's research focuses on a series of international dissociative disorders treatment studies (TOP DD studies); assessment methods for distinguishing dissociative disorders from other conditions including malingering; training therapists about treating trauma; and the assessment of the accuracy and adequacy of textbooks' coverage of trauma. In her private practice, Dr. Brand treats complex trauma patients and serves as a forensic expert in trauma-related cases.

Ruth A. Lanius, M.D., Ph.D. is a Psychiatry Professor and Harris-Woodman Chair at the University of Western Ontario, where she directs the Clinical Research Program for PTSD. Ruth has over 25 years of clinical and research experience with trauma-related disorders. Ruth has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Banting Award for Military Health Research. She has published over 150 research articles and book chapters focusing on brain adaptations to psychological trauma and novel adjunct treatments for PTSD. Ruth has co-authored The Effects of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic and Healing the Traumatized Self: Consciousness, Neuroscience, Treatment.