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Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers' capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk's own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

Educational Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the clinician will be able to:

• Describe the basic processes that underlie trauma.
• Describe the role of trauma in the disintegration of bodily systems.
• Identify the parts of the brain that are altered through the experience of trauma and discuss how those changes translate into changes in behavior and functioning in daily life.
• Discuss how the long-term effects of stress are determined by the pattern of stress activation.
• Describe the role of parental and social relationships in mitigating or exacerbating the effects of childhood trauma.
• Compare and contrast the ways in which traumatic vs. non-traumatic memories are stored in the brain and experienced.
• Describe innovative treatments that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity.
• Integrate into clinical practice multiple techniques proven effective with patients who have experienced trauma.
• Provide clients with a way to find words that describe the deep and painful effects of trauma.

Syllabus / Course Instructions

• This course is suitable for CE for beginning, intermediate and advanced level clinicians.
• The Course consists of reading the selected book, successfully completing an online posttest and filling out a course evaluation.
• The printed book or ebook is not included. It must be purchased separately. We have supplied a link to Amazon.com for your convenience.
• Purchasing your course will give you access to both a printable copy of the test and an online version of the test. Print the test to use as a companion as you read the book and answer the questions.
• You cannot exit the online test once you begin, so have your answers available.

Additional Resources On This Site for CE

• Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed (This course is not available for CE for psychologists))
  by Lori Gottlieb: 17 CE Credits
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 25th Anniversary Edition
  by Stephen R. Covey, PhD: 15 CE Credits
• The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts
  by Gary Chapman, PhD: 8 CE Credits
• Boundaries: When to Say Yes and How to Say No
  by Henry Cloud and John Townsend: 12 CE Credits
• ACT Made Simple (2nd Edition)
  by Russ Harris, MD: 16 CE Credits
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
  by Jordan B. Peterson: 17 CE Credits

Bio: Bessel van der Kolk, MD

Bessel van der Kolk (born 1943) is a Boston based psychiatrist noted for his research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and developmental aspects of trauma's effects on people. His major publication, the New York Times bestseller, 'The Body keeps the Score', talks about how the role of trauma in psychiatric illness has changed over the past 20 years; what we have learned about the ways the brain is shaped by traumatic experiences; how traumatic stress is a response of the entire organism and how that knowledge needs be integrated into healing practices.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.