Grounded in 40 years of clinical practice and research, this book provides a systematic yet flexible evidence-informed framework for treating adult survivors of complex trauma, particularly those exposed to chronic emotional abuse or neglect. Component-based psychotherapy (CBP) addresses four primary treatment components that can be tailored to each client's unique needs--relationship, regulation, dissociative parts, and narrative. Vivid extended case examples illustrate CBP intervention strategies and bring to life both the client's and therapist's internal experiences. The appendix features a reproducible multipage clinician self-assessment tool that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

See also Treating Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents, Second Edition, by Margaret E. Blaustein and Kristine M. Kinniburgh, which presents a complementary approach also developed at The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute.

Elizabeth K. Hopper, PhD, is a clinical psychologist with a specialization in traumatic stress. Dr. Hopper is an administrator, supervisor, clinician, and trainer at Justice Resource Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. She is currently Project Director of the Metropolitan Boston Complex Trauma Treatment Initiative, a mobile service network delivering evidence-based trauma interventions to high-risk and underserved complex trauma–exposed children and youth. Dr. Hopper serves as director of a regional anti-trafficking coalition, co-chairs the Mental Health Council of HEAL Trafficking, and has a private practice. She has collaborated with numerous agencies and organizations in developing trauma-informed care systems. Dr. Hopper is coauthor of a book on yoga as a body-based intervention for trauma and has written numerous articles and chapters on complex trauma, trauma-informed care, homelessness, and human trafficking. She has a strong interest in integration across treatment models and in interventions that can be individually adapted.

Frances K. Grossman, PhD, ABPP, is a senior supervisor and member of the training faculty at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, Massachusetts, with which she has been affiliated since 2001. She is Professor Emeritus in the Clinical Psychology program at Boston University, having taught there for over 30 years, and was an adjunct faculty member in the Lesley University Master's in Counseling Psychology program for a decade. Dr. Grossman has published and presented on topics including resiliency in women and men with histories of childhood sexual abuse. With a particular interest in dissociation, she teaches a dissociation seminar at the Trauma Center and has developed an imagery technique for engagement with dissociated parts of self. She is highly engaged in the national dialogue about implicit and explicit racism and has participated in the development of a Trauma Center working group on issues related to diversity.

Joseph Spinazzola, PhD, a clinical psychologist in private practice, was a clinician, researcher, clinical supervisor, and national trainer for the Trauma Center in Brookline, Massachusetts, for over 18 years, including 12 years as Executive Director. He is Adjunct Professor at Richmont Graduate University, a member of The Forensic Panel consulting practice, and Executive Director of the Foundation Trust. Dr. Spinazzola founded the Complex Trauma Treatment Network of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, coauthored the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’s expert guidelines for the treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder, served as Co-Principal Investigator of the developmental trauma disorder national field trials, and has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He is also the lead developer of the Trauma Drama intervention for youth and young adults.

Marla Zucker, PhD, CMPC, is a clinical psychologist and certified sport psychologist in private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts. She is a supervisor and lecturer in the Sport Psychology specialization at Boston University within the Counseling Psychology program. Dr. Zucker worked with the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute (JRI) for 15 years, including 11 years as Director of Clinical Services and then Program Director, and 8 years as Program Director at JRI's Metrowest Behavioral Health Center in Acton, Massachusetts. At the Trauma Center, she was also on the training faculty and worked clinically with traumatized children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Zucker has published and presented widely in the areas of trauma and trauma treatment and developmental learning and attention disorders.

Foreword, Bessel A. van der Kolk
Introduction, Christine A. Courtois
I. Overview and Background
1. Component-Based Psychotherapy with Adult Survivors of Emotional Abuse and Neglect, with Hilary B. Hodgdon
2. Into the Abyss: A Series of Moments in the Clinical Process for Client and Therapist
II. The Component-Based Psychotherapy Model
3. Client and Therapist Relational Patterns and Contextual Factors, with Margaret E. Blaustein
4. Reaching across the Abyss: A Relational Approach
5. Regulation of Complex Trauma
6. Regulating on the Brink of the Abyss
7. Fragmentation of Self and Dissociative Parts
8. Working with Dissociative Parts in the Depths of the Abyss
9. Constructing a Narrative, Constructing a Self, with Jodie Wigren
10. Transcending the Abyss: Life Narrative and Identity Development
III. The Component-Based Psychotherapy Model Integration: Out of the Abyss
11. Tailoring Treatment with CBP: Individualized Adaptations and Effective Pacing
12. Applications of CBP: Revisiting David and Nicole
Appendix. Component-Based Psychotherapy: Clinician Self-Assessment, Jana Pressley