Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia A Guide to Trauma-informed Approaches

A Plea About the Editors List of Contributors Acknowledgments Editors’ Notes Foreword Peter McClellan, AM, QC Introduction Richard Benjamin Part 1: Theory and Constructs 1. Trauma Theory Sandra Bloom 2. The Interpersonal Construction of the Human Brain-Mind System Russell Meares 3. Childhood Trauma - The Long-Term Impact and the Human Cost Cathy Kezelman 4. The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment, Inequalities and Later Health Outcomes Jackie Amos and Leonie Segal 5. Adult Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - Contemporary Concepts Alexander C McFarlane 6. Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Developmental Trauma Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and the Dissociative Disorders Martin Dorahy and Mary-Anne Kate Part 2: Specific Populations 7. Trauma-Informed Care in Infancy Louise Newman 8. Institutional Abuse of Children - An Australian Perspective Carolyn Quadrio 9. Incest That Continues into Adult Life Warwick Middleton 10. Aboriginal Australia - Trauma Stories Can Become Healing Stories if we Work with Therapeutic Intent Judy Atkinson 11. The Mental Health of Refugees and People Who Seek Asylum Derrick Silove and Sarah Mares 12. Humanising Responses to People Who Have Experienced Sexual Violence Jackie Burke 13. Recognising and Understanding the Experience of Trauma in the Context of Domestic Violence Agi O’Hara 14. Trauma-Informed Care in The Context of Alcohol and Other Drug Use Disorders Katherine Mills and Maree Teesson 15. Biology and Experience Intertwined - Trauma, Neglect and Physical Health Johanna Lynch and Anna Luise Kirkengen Part 3: Individual Treatment Approaches 16. Sequenced Relationship-Based Treatment for Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders Christine A Courtois and Julian D Ford 17. Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments Carla J Walton and Christopher W Lee 18. Trauma-Informed Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - A Brief History and Contemporary Application Joan Haliburn 19. Working with Body and Mind - Trauma-Informed Somatic Psychotherapy Marianne Kennedy and Narelle McKenzie 20. Meditation and Yoga for Trauma Timothea Goddard 21. Structured Therapy Versus Psychodynamic Therapy Nick Bendit 22. Working with Trauma - Implications for Supervision and Professional Ethics Elisabeth Shaw Part 4: Organisational Approaches 23. The Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care and The Need for Cultural and Organisational Change Pam Stavropolous 24. Therapeutic Services for Traumatised Children and Young People – Healing in The Everyday Experience of Relationships Joe Tucci and Janise Mitchell 25. Setting Up A Whole of Culture Trauma-Informed Care Model in Australia Matthew Spicer and Veronica Burton 26. The Trauma-Informed Inpatient Facility Ignatius Kim and Toni Ashmore 27. Trauma-Informed Mental Health Care for Australian Defence Force Personnel and Veterans John Cooper and Nicole Sadler 28. Developing A State-Wide Service for The Treatment of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder Sathya Rao and Josephine Beatson 2

Biography

Dr Richard Benjamin is a public sector psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He is particularly interested in the long-term effects of child abuse, their manifestations in adults presenting with mental illness, and the benefits of incorporating an understanding of both trauma and relationship in therapeutic responses.

Dr Joan Haliburn is a child, adolescent and family psychiatrist and psychotherapist. She is also a Lecturer at the University of Sydney, Australia. She is the former President and Director of Training of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy (ANZAP) and a member of the board of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).

Serena King is a clinical psychologist. She has worked extensively in community mental health and the tertiary education sector. She has held senior roles as a clinician, manager, supervisor and training provider. She has a particular interest in trauma-informed and relational treatments when working with clients with complex mental health issues. She facilitates multidisciplinary training in trauma-informed and psychotherapeutic approaches.

The learning from this book will also enable others to develop a greater understanding of the appropriate approach to the treatment of people suffering complex trauma.

The Honourable Peter McClellan, AM, QC, Chair, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Every mental health clinician and health policy maker and administrator in the country should read Humanising Mental Health Care in Australia. Set out in four sections, it is an easy to read, informative and important text about the impact of trauma on mental health, and why it is important to recognise it and respond appropriately, at both an individual level and a systems level. No matter what your background, if you are interested in how to improve the delivery of compassionate mental health care, I guarantee you will find true ‘pearls of wisdom’ in this book.

Dr Peggy Brown, AO, Former Chief Executive Officer, National Mental Health Commission

The title of this book, Humanising Mental Health Care In Australia, embraces a deep and overdue imperative in mental health care, not only in Australia but around the world. The paradox of surging momentum of awareness of mental illness contrasting with the increasingly poor quality of mental health care underlines the urgent need for reform and a more sophisticated approach. We have lurched from a brainless to a mindless psychiatry when we need a much more sophisticated blend, which transcends the old false dichotomies. The centrality and potency of trauma in creating and embedding mental illness is reflected in this high quality monograph which captures a wide range of Australian expertise in a balanced yet passionate way. Other biological, psychological and social dimensions are also crucial if we are to humanise mental health care, however trauma is the most likely one to be suppressed or denied, so affirmative action is required. This book supports such affirmative action. Courage, scholarship and skill are essential if the mission to humanise mental health care is to succeed. This book is an essential resource in this mission.

Professor Patrick McGorry, AO, Executive Director, Orygen