In addition to providing cutting edge, evidence based trauma therapy, how can mental health practitioners living and working within oppressive systems (like colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, heterosexism, or exploitative capitalism) ensure we’re less likely to perpetuate the harms of these systems through our therapy? How can we educate ourselves to support the empowerment and healing… Read more »
Posts Tagged: recent
Decolonial, liberatory, intersectional feminist therapy: The next step on the path (August 2021-August 2022, On-Demand)
Feminist therapy has, in essence, argued that the entire project of psychotherapy was colonized and corrupt from its inception. The collusion of the “founding fathers” of western psychotherapy with both overt and covert moves by governments to control the behaviors of marginalized persons, as well as reinforce dangerous false narrative of toxic masculinity, are core… Read more »
Why psychology must pay attention to trauma
This presentation, which I recorded in early July, 2021, takes the form of a conversation between myself and Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis, a feminist/womanist trauma psychologist who was then running for the presidency of the American Psychological Association. In it I talk about the centrality of trauma to everything that psychologists do, and the necessity of… Read more »
Heart to heart: The healing power of Aikido (June 6, Zoom)
This workshop, which I am co-offering with my two Aikido teachers, Mary Heiny Sensei, 7th Dan, and Kimberly Richardson Sensei, MA, 6th Dan, focuses on the ways in which the martial art of peace, Aikido, is at its very core a healing art that can be of immense help to people struggling with trauma, loss,… Read more »
Dealing with vampire clients and surviving the encounter (April 9, Zoom)
This presentation is part of a day-long pre-conference workshop, Navigating issues of boundaries and ethics in the psychotherapy of trauma and dissociation. In my portion of this workshop I talk about a typology of destructive individual, either a colleague or a client, who I have come to describe as a “Vampire” due to their pervasive,… Read more »
Soothing the traumatized heart: Music, the polyvagal model of trauma, and healing of complex trauma (February 12, Zoom)
Persons who are subjected to repeated, unavoidable trauma, neglect, and disruptions to attachment during their earliest years are likely to develop what is now referred to as Complex Trauma. Different from classic PTSD, Complex Trauma affects all aspects of a person’s interpersonal functioning as well as their relationships with themselves, and their existential and spiritual… Read more »
Your turn for care: Surviving the aging and death of the adults who harmed you (January 30, Zoom)
The adult family members who harmed survivors of childhood complex trauma can present new difficulties and dilemmas for survivors when those perpetrators grow old. Demands on the survivors to engage in caregiving, even when refused, can activate what had been previously healed wounds or open new ones. This workshop will address the common concerns of… Read more »
Not the price of admission: Having healthy relationships for trauma survivors in the pandemic era (January 30, Zoom)
This workshop will offer participants insights into two things. One, why survivors believe, consciously or not, that they must pay a price in order to have any kind of relationship with other humans. And two, how to stop paying prices and instead develop a template for the healthy relationships that we deserve with friends, co-workers,… Read more »
Evidence-based relationship variables when working with affectional and gender minority clients: A systematic review
This article addresses the challenges of translating the evidence for the effects of the relationship in psychotherapy to work with clients whose intersectional identities are strongly informed by being members of groups marginalized for their sexual or gender orientations. We discuss managing both differences and similarities in the experiences of those offering and those seeking… Read more »
Institutional Cowardice: A powerful, often invisible, manifestation of Institutional Betrayal
In this article I introduce a new construct, Institutional Cowardice, which expands on Jennifer Freyd’s constructs of Institutional Betrayal and Institutional Courage. In it, I discuss the ways in which cowardice, and the fear of being ostracized and marginalized within an organization that is engaging in Institutional Betrayal, enables the betrayal while allowing the coward… Read more »
Complex trauma: Missed and misdiagnosis in forensic evaluations
This article, co-authored with my former trainee and colleague Tyson Bailey, speaks to the common and problematic phenomenon of how persons with complex trauma are misdiagnosed by forensic evaluators who are not trauma-informed. The risks to the quality of forensic evaluation when complex trauma is not taken into account or identified correctly, and the costs… Read more »
Complex trauma and the question of reasonableness in sexual harassment cases
This article discusses the interactions between a history of childhood complex trauma and responses to various levels of sexual harassment. Because sexual harassment occurs on a continuum, its effects can vary depending on the target’s own history of prior sexual trauma or abuse of power. Forensic evaluators who lack a trauma-informed perspective are likely to… Read more »
Guideline orthodoxy and resulting limitations of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Introduction to the Special Issue
This article is the introduction of one of two special journal issues in which Christine Courtois and I have generated scholarly critiques of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults, writing from the perspective of having been members of the group that generated those guidelines. We explore how our attempts…
This article introduces one of two special issues of journals that critique the process and outcome of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults. We introduce the readers to several innovative modalities for the treatment of trauma that were either marginalized in the guidelines development process, or excluded because their… Read more »Trauma treatment: The need for on-going innovation
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and related treatments for trauma: An innovative, integrative trauma treatment
Although EMDR has been utilized clinically for more than three decades, and now has a growing and large body of scientific scholarship demonstrating its effectiveness with survivors of a wide range of traumas, it is still wrongly treated as “controversial” by those who have remained ignorant of this strong evidence base for its use in… Read more »
Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Association for Women in Psychology: A life in feminist psychology. A long and interesting journey from Ft. Wayne to Newport
In 2019, I had the privilege of being the invited keynote speaker for the 50th anniversary conference of the professional organization that shaped my entire life’s work, the Association for Women in Psychology. This article expands on that speech, in which I highlight the ways in which the radical vision of feminist psychology has both… Read more »
What’s in a name? Reflections on how the dissociative coping strategies of survivors of trauma are anything but a disorder
This interview, which I gave in April, 2020, shares my process of becoming a therapist working with, and eventually attempting to be an ally to, people living with dissociation, especially with dissociative ego states. An important focus of this interview is my discussion of how I have come to abandon the use of “disorder” in… Read more »
Feminist perspectives on trauma treatment (March 8, Ramat Gan Israel)
This informal discussion program is being offered by invitation by the School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University. I’ll be sharing my work and insights into how to integrate feminist frameworks into trauma treatment, and engaging with my Israeli colleagues to learn about how they have been doing the same. Where to attend Event:… Read more »
Insights and innovative feminist models and techniques for working with complex PTSD (March 6, Tel Aviv Israel)
This informal discussion program is an invited presentation for the therapists of one of Israel’s oldest feminist therapy collectives. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from my clients in four decades of working with the survivors of complex trauma, and engage with my Israeli counterparts to discover what their different social context brings to the… Read more »
Multicultural theories
In this chapter my co-author and I explore the range of multicultural theories that can be integrated into clinical psychology practice. This chapter is one part of a very large and expensive five-volume series, which I suggest getting from your library. Where to find Buy from Amazon Citation Comas-Diaz, L. & Brown, L.S. (2016). Multicultural… Read more »
Feminist and multicultural perspectives in trauma psychology
This is one chapter in a two-volume book series. If you work with trauma survivors it would probably be worth your while to invest in this purchase. This particular chapter discusses the roots of trauma psychology in early feminist practice with survivors of rape, intimate partner violence, and childhood sexual abuse, and considers how and… Read more »
Feminist therapy
This brief chapter reviews the heritage of feminist psychotherapy, and summarizes its core principles and practices. This is simply one short article in a four-volume series, which I suggest that you obtain from your library. The Kindle version costs more than 300.00. Where to find Buy from Amazon Citation Brown, L.S. (2017). Feminist therapy. In… Read more »
Effect of evidence-based treatment relationships on treatment outcome for adults with trauma: A systematic review
Because there were few if any studies of the importance of the evidence-based treatment relationship variables on trauma therapy, our group set out to explore the existing literature. We found that as with other psychotherapy clients, trauma survivors in therapy find treatment more effective when those relationship variables are present. Where to find Buy from… Read more »
Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Association for Women in Psychology: A life in feminist psychology: A long and interesting journey from Ft. Wayne to Newport
This article grew out of the keynote address that I gave at the 50th anniversary conference of the Association for Women in Psychology, the leading feminist psychology organization in the world. In it I review my own personal history with AWP, and then discuss some of the innovations that feminists brought to psychology that have… Read more »
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy and related treatments for trauma: An innovative, integrative trauma treatment
This article, co-authored with an expert consultant and trainer in EMDR, discusses its development as an innovative treatment for trauma. We describe the resistance and marginalization of this technique in its early years, and then discuss the growing body of research that demonstrates it being an evidence-based and effective practice for treating trauma. In an… Read more »
Trauma treatment: The need for on-going innovation
This article introduces a special issue of the journal Practice Innovations. Dr. Courtois and I were inspired to create this special issue, and the accompanying special issue of Psychotherapy because of our collective dissatisfaction with both the process and outcome of APA’s PTSD Treatment Guidelines work group, of which I was a member, and which… Read more »
Guideline orthodoxy and resulting limitations of the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults: Introduction to the Special Issue
This article introduces a special issue of the journal Psychotherapy. Dr. Courtois and I were inspired to create this special issue, and the accompanying special issue of Practice Innovations because of our collective dissatisfaction with both the process and outcome of APA’s PTSD Treatment Guidelines work group, of which I was a member, and which… Read more »
Review of traumatic divorce and separation
This book review describes my response to a very impressive and thorough book for both attorneys and psychologists who work with women going through divorce after abusive or exploitative relationships. It’s must reading if you work with that population. Where to find Buy from publisher Citation Brown, L.S. (2019). Review of traumatic divorce and separation…. Read more »
Feminist and liberatory perspectives on psychotherapy supervision: Empowerment, not shame (February 25-March 5, Beersheva Israel)
This intensive course will introduce students to feminist and liberatory models of psychotherapy practice as they apply to supervision of counselors and therapists at any stage of professional development. We will discuss common challenges and pitfalls inherent in attempting to create an egalitarian, liberatory relationship in an evaluative setting, and explore together how to develop… Read more »
Liberatory counseling in challenging times: How can counseling centers show Institutional Courage (February 20, Evanston IL)
This keynote address will discuss how counseling center therapists, and the systems that support their work, can function in liberatory ways in their work. The questions of divided loyalties – to the university, to the counseling center’s own systems of hierarchy, to staff, to trainees, and to clients – will be considered. I’ll talk about… Read more »
Not the price of admission: Having healthy relationships for trauma survivors (February 8, Orlando FL)
This workshop for adult survivors of complex childhood trauma and their therapists will introduce the “Price of Admission” model for how disrupted attachment during childhood creates problematic paradigms for all kinds of emotionally meaningful relationships in adult life. I will then talk about ways to break the chain of trauma reenactments in those relationships, emphasizing… Read more »
Cultural competence: It’s all about clinical awareness (December 6, Tukwila WA)
This brief workshop for interns and post-docs who are part of the National Internship Training Consortium in the Pacific Northwest, will invite early career psychologists to consider how they and their work are affected by systemic forms of bias and oppression. We will utilize a model of developing cultural humility and compassionate self-awareness to move… Read more »
Ethical and practical applications of Aikido principles to trauma treatment (November 8, Seattle WA)
This workshop for therapists who treat trauma survivors will introduce the use of concepts and movement strategies from Aikido, the martial art of peace. We will base our work on current findings about the neuroscience of trauma, and focus on interventions that affect the polyvagal system and the stress response system. The relational nature of… Read more »
Cultural competence and cultural humility in the treatment of trauma (September 27, Arlington TX)
This workshop will address two issues central to working with psychotherapy clients; how do we demonstrate cultural humility, so at to move toward greater competence, and how do we integrate that cultural awareness into the treatment of trauma survivors? Since so many people entering treatment have histories of trauma, both childhood complex developmental trauma and… Read more »
Blending science and art in trauma therapy outcomes (August 9, Chicago IL)
This symposium brings me together with a group of other long-time practitioners in the field of trauma psychology. Together, we will discuss our responses to a number of questions about what make trauma therapy work, including describing our start in the trauma therapy field, discussing some trends in the science world at the time you… Read more »
Contextual trauma therapy for clients with complex trauma: Skill-building using a video recording (August 8, Chicago IL)
I will be a discussant on this workshop in which members of the Nova Southeastern University trauma treatment program discuss the latest developments in their work – in this case, looking at how and whether skills at coping with trauma-related difficulties can be enhanced through the use of video material. Where to attend Event: Annual… Read more »
Feminist perspectives on the treatment of trauma (April 13-14, Prague Czech Republic)
This two-day workshop is aimed at psychotherapists wishing to integrate feminist therapy principles into their work with trauma survivors. The workshop will explore feminist models of trauma beyond the diagnostic manuals. It will attend to issues of intersectional identity as sources of both risk and resilience in the face of trauma exposure, and will consider… Read more »
The feminist therapy model of psychotherapy supervision (April 12, Prague Czech Republic)
This presentation will consist of a brief didactic review of the feminist model of psychotherapy supervision followed by excerpts from a DVD of a live session of supervision in which this model is demonstrated. We will focus on ways in which the feminist emphasis on power analysis and the goal of creating an egalitarian relationship… Read more »
Helping trauma survivors to have the relationships they deserve (December 9, Burlingame CA)
Survivors of complex childhood trauma – systemic abuse, neglect, and disrupted attachment schemata — enter adulthood with internal working models of relationship that often lead them into difficult and painful connections with others. I will address the specific challenges in empowering these survivors to stop “paying the price of admission” to intimacy, and discuss how… Read more »
Liberatory Models of Psychotherapy Supervision (December 8, Burlingame CA)
There is a dynamic tension between the necessarily hierarchical structure of psychotherapy supervision and the liberatory/egalitarian models of feminist and other liberatory practices. This will be a chance for psychotherapy supervisors who are struggling with this dilemma to discuss this topic with the author of The feminist model of psychotherapy supervision. Come with your own… Read more »
Increasing cultural humility as a path to competence (December 8, Burlingame CA)
This session will be a dialogue between me and Elliott Connie, a psychotherapist who has been instrumental in promoting diversity issues in the world of Brief Therapy. We will engage with one another and with the audience – come prepared to participate. Where to attend Event: Brief Therapy Conference 2018 Sponsoring organization: Milton Erickson Foundation… Read more »
Culturally competent trauma practice (December 7, Burlingame CA)
Just as human beings are not generic, so, too, trauma is an event that is affected by and interacts with people’s intersectional identities. This workshop will introduce participants to a mindful model for understanding how to move towards cultural competence in practice with trauma survivors. We will pay particular attention to therapist countertransference/fragility, and to… Read more »
The feminist therapy model of psychotherapy supervision (June 27 Amsterdam The Netherlands)
This presentation, part of a symposium of master supervisors, will consist of a brief didactic review of the feminist model of psychotherapy supervision followed by excerpts from a DVD of a live session of supervision in which this model is demonstrated. We will focus on ways in which the feminist emphasis on power analysis and… Read more »
First do no harm: Is it any longer safe to write case reports?
This article, part of a special issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, explores the risks of harm to clients whose lives become the topic of a professional case study. Drawing upon the experience of Nicole Taus, who was subjected to multiple invasions of privacy by a psychological researcher intent on refuting her report of… Read more »
Looking outside the (voice)box
This article is one of several follow-ups to my classic piece, New voices new visions, originally published in 1989. It is part of a special issue on how various lesbians in positions of leadership in their communities have dealt with illness and disability. In it I revisit my experience of having my larynx stop working… Read more »
Feminist therapy process
This chapter, excerpted from the book Feminist Therapy, is a brief introduction to dynamics of the process of feminist therapy. The function of the egalitarian relationship and strategies for empowerment of clients in the therapy context are emphasized. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L.S. (2013). Feminist therapy process. In G. Vandenbos, E…. Read more »
Feminist therapy
This chapter, excerpted from the book Feminist Therapy, is a brief introduction to theory in feminist therapy. Theoretical roots of feminist therapy and major contributors to underlying theoretical constructs are reviewed. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Citation Brown, L.S. (2013). Feminist therapy. In G. Vandenbos, E. Meidenbauer & J. Frank-McNeil (Eds). Psychotherapy theories… Read more »
Treating the effects of psychological trauma
This chapter is a brief introduction to the essentials of working psychotherapeutically with survivors of traumatic experiences. The range of traumagenic phenomena is explored, and evidence-based treatments for symptoms of trauma exposure are presented. Readers also have access to a bibliography of foundational literature in the field of psychology trauma. Where to find Buy from… Read more »
Treating women in psychotherapy
This chapter offers the reader a succinct introduction to the literature on working with women clients in psychotherapy. Intended as a stepping-stone into the five decades of literature on the topic, readers can use this chapter as a means of integrating awareness of gender into their work. A bibliography of foundational references is included. Where… Read more »
On not quitting my day job
This very personal chapter describes my experiences of becoming disillusioned with my work, and the transformative process of falling in love with being a psychotherapist all over again. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L. S. (2012). On not quitting my day job. In M. Hoyt (Ed). Therapist stories of inspiration, passion and… Read more »
Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy
This chapter describes my process of learning to relate to a client across barriers of difference and bias, hers and mine alike. Where to find Buy from amazon.com Citation Brown, L. S. (2012). Compassion amidst oppression: Increasing cultural competence for managing difficult dialogues in therapy. In M. Goldfried, A. Wolf & J.C. Muran (Eds). Transforming… Read more »
A look back at New voices, new visions: The view from here
This invited journal article, part of PWQ’s anniversary series of commentary from authors of its citation classics, revisits and reconsiders the author’s proposal of a lesbian and gay paradigm for psychology. It expands the original vision of this paradigm and discusses how it would apply in the current social and politcal context. Where to find… Read more »