Revisiting the Case of “Chloe”: Reflections on the Treatment of a Survivor of Complex Trauma

Authors

  • Phoebe Shepherd World Trade Center Mental Health Program, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55818/pcsp.v18i2.2116

Keywords:

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Therapy (AEDP); Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP); phase-based treatment; complex PTSD (CPTSD); relational trauma; case study; clinical case study

Abstract

In this article, I respond to commentaries by Christine Courtois and Julian Ford (2022), and by Stephanie Lyon (2022) on my hybrid case study of "Chloe," a survivor of complex trauma (Shepherd, 2022). Courtois and Ford, seasoned clinicians in the field of complex trauma and the developers of the sequenced, relationship-based model used in Chloe’s treatment, offer intriguing insights and reflections on the application of their model to Chloe’s case. In her compelling response, Lyon puts forth an alternative guiding conception, one rooted in a mentalization-based approach, for treating Chloe’s complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), which raises fascinating questions regarding the nature of treatment for complex trauma survivors. In the following response, I consider these thoughtful commentaries and provide feedback in order to continue the dialogue regarding the need for flexible and integrative approaches to treating CPTSD that differ from those of traditional PTSD approaches.

Published

05/20/2022

How to Cite

Shepherd, P. (2022). Revisiting the Case of “Chloe”: Reflections on the Treatment of a Survivor of Complex Trauma. Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy, 18(2), 257–265. https://doi.org/10.55818/pcsp.v18i2.2116