Feminist therapy with complex trauma: Accompanying a survivor on her hobbit journey (August 6, Toronto ON)

Part of a symposium, Frodo and Sam Enter Mordor—The Feminist Therapy Alliance in Complex Trauma, this presentation will reflect my experiences of a feminist trauma specialist working as a therapist with a colleague who is a survivor of complex childhood trauma, as well as a member of several of the same small professional and social communities as the therapist. I will describe how I have used the metaphor of the Hobbit’s Journey to describe the heroism of complex trauma survivors, and the roles of the protagonists of the hobbit stories to create a framework for understanding both the extraordinary challenges of the healing journey and the expectations of care and secure attachment that I offer to a client working through the wounds of complex childhood trauma. I will focus on the ways in which feminist therapy, with its emphasis on egalitarian relationship and the use of self-of-therapist, has been especially well-suited as a theoretical framework for this work. Finally, together with my co-presenter/client, I will discuss the interesting and enriching challenges of living in our shared social and professional realities.

Where to attend

  • Event: 123rd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association
  • Sponsoring organization: Division of Trauma Psychology
  • Registration information: Open to all attendees
  • Date: Thursday, August 6, 2015
  • Time: 11:00 – 11:50 AM
  • Room: 104B
  • Venue: Toronto Convention Centre
  • City: Toronto, ON