0712 - Dissociation-Informed Clinical Practitioner: An Essential Component to Trauma-Informed Care
Course Description
Hours: 12
Trauma-informed practice has become a foundational framework across mental health, healthcare, addictions, education and other social service settings. However, many practitioners struggle to fully understand and respond to the ways trauma is expressed through dissociation. Without recognizing the many different dissociative states, clinicians may inadvertently misunderstand client presentations and current state, misinterpret symptoms, or implement interventions that overwhelm, rather than support, recovery. This Professional Development course will provide an overview of the different clinical types of dissociation and presentation in order to increase the practitioner’s recognition, knowledge and awareness of these states.
This course explores dissociation from a normal to adaptive response to overwhelming experiences and examines how a dissociation-informed lens informs and enhances trauma-informed practice. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between trauma, attachment, nervous system regulation and types of dissociation. The course will challenge common myths about dissociation and expand participants' ability to recognize both subtle and overt dissociative states that often present as anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, substance use, self-criticism, somatic symptoms, relational difficulties and treatment resistance.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Define dissociation as an adaptive response to trauma and chronic stress.
- Differentiate between normal, everyday dissociation and trauma-related dissociative processes.
- Identify differences in dissociation classification between the DSM-5 Tr and ICD-10.
- Recognize common presentations of dissociation that are often mistaken for other mental health concerns.
- Identify the hidden nature of dissociation.
- Explain how dissociation mimics or exacerbates other symptoms.
- Understand positive and negative symptoms of dissociation.
- Understand trauma fragmentation as a continuum and the ‘splitting’ of the self-state.
- Explain structural dissociation and its implications for assessment and treatment.
- Recognize the relationship between attachment disruptions, trauma, nervous system regulation and dissociative adaptations.
- Attend to the different Dissociative Disorders:
- DID
- Dissociative Amnesia
- Depersonalization/Derealization
- OSDD – Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 1a and 1b
- Unspecified Dissociative Disorders
- Functional Neurological Disorders
- Apply dissociation-informed principles to trauma assessment, case formulation and treatment planning.
- Identify key signs that a patient dissociates -- and what to do if it happens in a session.
- Use practical stabilization and grounding interventions that support safety and regulation.
- Apply somatic approaches to working with dissociation.
- Integrate parts-oriented and trauma-informed approaches into clinical practice.
- Enhance therapeutic effectiveness by fostering integration, resilience and client-centred healing.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed to help professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of trauma and improve their ability to work safely and effectively with complex trauma presentations, including social workers, psychotherapists, psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, counsellors, substance abuse counsellors, healthcare professionals, community service workers, clinical supervisors, other helping professionals.
Notes
Time Zone: All listed class times are held in ET (Ontario, Canada)
For more information contact the Faculty of Social Work Professional Development office:
Email: fswprofessionaldevelopment@wlu.ca
Phone: 548-889-5128
Cancellations and Transfers
Be sure to carefully review our cancellation and transfer information before registering.
Website: wlu.ca/fswpd
Applies Towards the Following Certificates
- Trauma Certificate : Trauma Certificate