Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma (Essential Skills for Counselling)

by Christiane Sanderson

Publisher:

Jessica Kingsley Publishers

, 2013

Overview

Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma is a practical, introductory guide to counselling survivors of child abuse, neglect, rape, sexual violence, sexual trafficking, religious sexual abuse, and domestic abuse.

Written in an accessible style, it provides a comprehensive introduction to complex trauma accompanied by advice on how to create a safe environment in which survivors can learn the skills to restore control over trauma symptoms, to aid healing and post traumatic growth. The book covers all of the key principles including: understanding the role of dissociation in complex trauma; the role of attachment; managing flashbacks, panic attacks, nightmares and dissociation; responding to shame and guilt; managing relationships; and the impact of working with complex trauma. It explores how practitioners can work more effectively with trauma, and offers techniques and skills which can easily be integrated into different therapeutic models.

Featuring highlighted top tips, common pitfalls and a range of exercises, this is an essential guide for all professionals working with child and adult survivors of trauma.

Key Features

• Provides a comprehensive introduction to complex trauma
• Features highlighted top tips, common pitfalls and a range of exercises
• Teaches how to create a safe environment for survivors to learn skills to regain control of trauma symptoms

Contents

Part 1: Understanding Complex Trauma

• Understanding Trauma and Complex Trauma
• Understanding Trauma Symptoms
• Understanding the Role of Dissociation and Dissociative Disorders
• Understanding the Role of Attachment

Part 2: Working with Complex Trauma

• Safe Trauma Therapy
• Therapeutic Challenges
• Building and Maintaining the Therapeutic Relationship
• The Process of Recovery

Part 3: Skills to Manage Complex Trauma Symptoms

• Establishing Safety and Control
• Skills to Improve Daily Life
• Managing Sensations, Feelings and Grounding Skills
• Managing Flashbacks, Nightmares, Panic Attacks and Dissociation
• Managing Negative Thoughts and Beliefs
• Managing Fragmented Memories
• Managing Shame, Guilt and Self-blame
• Managing Self-harm
• Setting and Managing Healthy Personal Boundaries
• Managing Relationships
• Managing Sexuality
• Managing Loss and Mourning

Part 4: Post-traumatic Growth

• Restoring Reality and Trust in Self
• Relapse Prevention and Maintaining Self-care
• Maintaining Post-traumatic Growth

Part 5: Professional Issues

• Practitioner Self-care

Praise for Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma

This book is fabulous... the absolute best I have ever read on the trauma associated with sex abuse. Written in clear language, it takes the understanding of the problem and the path to recovery to a new level, revealing the devastating nature of traumatic effects of abuse, but also providing a source of concrete hope through a realistic and attainable treatment and recovery program. The section on understanding complex trauma is a major gem in itself, and should be required reading for anyone involved in sex abuse at any level.

—Thomas Doyle, J.C.D., C.A.D.C, a Canon lawyer and outspoken advocate for clergy-abuse victims, USA

This book has a great deal to offer to all counsellors and psychotherapists, as well as other practitioners who work with people who have experienced trauma within the context of close relationships. The great strength of this book is that it considers all aspects of this area of therapy in an informed, accessible, caring and comprehensive manner. It represents an exceptional contribution to the literature and will become essential reading for both trainees and experienced practitioners. A welcome example of how knowledge and skills from a range of medical, social and psychotherapeutic approaches can be integrated into a coherent model of practice.

—John McLeod, Emeritus Professor of Counselling, University of Abertay, UK; Professor of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway

Product Details

• Title: Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma: Healing from Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse
• Author: Christiane Sanderson
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Print Publication Date: 2013
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 328
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Sexual abuse victims › Mental health; Sexual abuse victims › Counseling of; Victims of family violence › Mental health; Victims of family violence › Counseling of; Post-traumatic stress disorder › Treatment
• ISBNs: 9781849053266, 184905326X
• Resource ID: LLS:COUNSELSKILLS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-01-30T18:24:48Z

About Christiane Sanderson

Christiane Sanderson (BSc, MSc) is a former senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton, London with 35 years of experience working in the field of child sexual abuse, sexual violence and complex trauma. She has delivered advice and training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, the police and faith communities both nationally and internationally, for psychotherapists, counsellors, parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, solicitors, the NSPCC, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service, SOLACE, Women’s Aid, Sexual Assault Referral Centres, Addiction Services, the Refugee Council, Samaritans, homeless projects, Birmingham City Council Youth Offending Team, the Public Protection and Probation Service and worked in HMP Bronzefield. 

 She is a regular contributor to sexual violence and trauma conferences, including  The National Sibling Sexual Abuse Conference for Frontline Sectors in February 2022, the first national conference on sibling sexual abuse in the U.K. Christiane is a trustee of the charity One in Four that specialises in supporting survivors of child sexual abuse and trauma, sexual violence, and domestic abuse. She  has written a number of books and resources for One in Four including the highly acclaimed self help book The Warrior Within: A One in Four Handbook to Aid Recovery from Sexual Abuse and Violence amongst other materials to aid survivors of trauma. Christiane is author of many publications on safeguarding, child protection and abuse including, all published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

In her free time Christiane is passionate about art and travel.