CITATION: Chu, J. A. (1988). Ten traps for therapists in the treatment of trauma survivors. Dissociation 1(4), 24-32.

ABSTRACT: Trauma survivor patients, particularly those who have experienced early childhood trauma & abuse, stand out in the clinical experience of many therapists as being among the most difficult patients to treat. These patients have particular patterns of relatedness, along with intense neediness & dependency which make them superb testers of the abilities of their therapists. They often push therapists to examine the rationales & limits of their therapeutic abilities, & frequently force therapists to examine their own personal issues & ethics. A conceptual framework for understanding treatment traps is presented, along with ten traps which these patients present, consciously or unconsciously, in the course of treatment. Included are traps around trust, distance, boundaries, limits, control, responsibility, denial, projection, idealization, & motivation. These are certainly not the only traps which occur in the course of treatment, but they highlight the experience of treatment & the difficulties which are encountered between the therapist & the patient. This paper is intended to be clinical in orientation to help prepare & support therapists in their work.

TEN TRAPS FOR THERAPISTS IN THE TREATMENT OF TRAUMA SURVIVORS

INTEGRATIVE DBT & PSYCHOTHERAPY