There is a growing awareness about the presence of developmental trauma in our society, and how it affects the many people who have experienced abuse or neglect as children.

Increasingly at Shalem Mental Health Network, we have adults seeking individual counselling or couple therapy who are aware of developmental trauma and wondering if it might be part of the issues they are dealing with.

Foster and adoptive parents are also are becoming more aware of the impact of a child’s early relationship history and seeking specialized treatment to help their children overcome their past relationship trauma experiences.

Articles like this recent one in Today’s Parent describes what developmental trauma looks like in children and how it affects their relationships, studies and so many other areas of their lives as they get older. It gives information about treatment, and highlights approaches such as Dyadic Develomental Psychotherapy (DDP) as one of the key treatment approaches. The article in Today’s Parent describes the work that fellow DDP colleagues in Ontario are doing.

Shalem continues to provide Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Practice and Parenting (DDP) to families dealing with attachment disruptions and developmental trauma. Shalem has two therapists, Betty and Amelia, who are currently using the DDP model in working with families with children with attachment disruptions and developmental trauma issues.

Betty is not only a DDP therapist but is also a certified DDP trainer. In her role as a DDP trainer Betty regularly educates and supervises other professionals in the field. Amelia has a background in similar attachment-based therapies, and is in the process of becoming a certified practitioner in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).

The other psychotherapists and social workers at Shalem are responding to the increasing numbers of adults who are seeking therapy to deal with past trauma, including developmental trauma and complex post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

As public understanding and awareness about attachment issues, developmental trauma and complex PTSD continue to grow, Shalem is building its capacity to serve and support families and individuals in dealing with these issues.

Betty J.B. Brouwer is Shalem’s Director of the Linking Lives/Building Attachment program and the Artistic Director of Shalem’s RE-create Outreach Art Studio.