Working with Dissociation in Clinical Practice

Working with Dissociation in Clinical Practice brings together current literature and the contributing authors’ professional and lived experiences to provide practical recommendations for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of individuals with dissociative difficulties.

Readers will benefit from learning how to apply this advice for best practice to a range of settings and client groups, ensuring more positive service user outcomes. Written in dialogue between experts-by-training and experts-by-experience, this essential edited volume covers practical strategies for practitioners working with dissociative clients. Authors address areas such as common misconceptions, assessment, co-morbidity, risk management and providing care and therapy within a trauma-informed and multi-disciplinary context. The book further explores support for dissociation within more specialist clinical areas, tailoring guidance to a range of client groups including, children, older people, those with learning disabilities, and those in forensic settings. It provides guidance for health systems and organisations to become more dissociation aware, within exisiting frameworks for trauma-informed care.

This book is a compelling read for clinical psychologists, other psychological and mental health practitioners, people with lived experience of dissociative difficulties and those who support them.

Author Biography

Helena A. Crockford, past-chair of the ACP-UK Complex Mental Health Network is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist and MBT Supervisor with 30+ years working in NHS complex mental health settings.

Melanie Goodwin is an Expert-by-Experience, co-founder of First Person Plural (1997 – 2023) and past-Trustee of European Society for Trauma and Dissociation-UK. She raises awareness of complex dissociation and DID through writing, speaking at conferences, developing resources, and co-delivering training alongside clinicians across public, private and voluntary service sectors.

Paul Langthorne is a Clinical Psychologist working in NHS community mental health services with many years experience of supporting people who experience trauma-related dissociation. He is planning a NIHR programme of clinical research that aims to develop the evidence-base for dissociation-informed NHS pathways of care which better meet peoples’ needs.