The impact of developmental trauma is very important for all therapists and mental health practitioners to have some understanding of. The symptoms can be similar to those experienced with PTSD, and also include shame, blocked trust and pervasive relational fear. This fear and anxiety can be hidden under a veneer of angry, aggressive & controlling behaviours. Developmentally traumatised people can struggle with loving and being loved. These children and adults can be experienced as ‘difficult’; becoming labelled and stigmatised within the mental health services or criminal justice system.
Course Content
Presenter
Helen Cruthers is Clinical Lead (Children and Families) with Beacon House Therapeutic Services and Trauma Team. Helen is a trainer, and an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist with over 30 years’ experience of working with children, young people, adults, and families. She specialises in therapeutic parenting work where there is a history of trauma, struggle, and relational challenges. Her work is informed by the fields of neuroscience, neurodiversity, attachment, sensory processing, systemic thinking, positive psychology, mental health, epigenetics, child development, and compassion-focused therapy. Helen’s interest is in the connective threads between our own traumas (as therapists), those of our clients, and our ability to work with relational depth.
