Course Description

Mental health professionals who treat trauma commonly encounter clients struggling with acute addictions as the connection between trauma and addiction is practically inseparable. However, many therapists express feelings of helplessness when faced with the complexities of treating addiction. Behaviors associated with addiction tend to be unpredictable, and clients encounter dangers (both internally and externally) when caught in a cycle of addiction, recovery, and relapse. This 90-minute session will highlight how clinicians can utilize the AIP model, EMDR, and best practices in addiction treatment to treat women struggling with co-occurring addiction and complex trauma.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will be able to describe the overlap of complex trauma and addiction in women.
2. Participants will be able to identify three ways in which EMDR therapy may be applied with a client experiencing an acute addiction and complex trauma symptoms.
3. Participants will be able to apply two addiction-specific protocols as an adjunct to EMDR therapy.

Presenter(s)

Kaitlyn Stafford, Ph.D., LCSW

Dr. Kaitlyn Stafford is an EMDR certified clinician and an EMDRIA Consultant. Dr. Stafford has experience managing addiction treatment programs and working with co-occurring disorders, especially complex trauma, and addiction. She is passionate about clinicians using a trauma-informed lens to treat addiction and loves training future and current clinicians in this area. She currently owns and operates a private practice and is a full-time professor of counseling.

Christi Myers, Ph.D., LPCS, LCDC

Dr. Christi Myers has worked in community mental health and education for over twenty years in Belgium, Japan, Mexico and the United States. Dr. Myers specializes in providing co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorder (COPSD) treatment to individuals, couples and families. Her research interests include the relationship between trauma exposure and substance use.