Webinar Title
Empirically Supported Methods for the Assessment of Complex Trauma, Complex PTSD, and Developmental Trauma Disorder With Children and Youth (1.5 CE/CPD)
Date and Time
Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT.
Learning Objectives
After this presentation, the learner will be able to:
- Define and distinguish between complex trauma, PTSD, and DTD.
- Recognize empirically supported trauma-focused assessment measures for children and youth.
- Recognize symptoms of other mental and behavioral health disorders that may be signs of PTSD and DTD.
- Identify empirically supported approaches to trauma-focused therapy for children and youth.
Abstract
This intermediate presentation provides an overview of the evolving definitions of complex psychological trauma, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), and developmental trauma disorder (DTD), as well as empirically supported assessment measures for school-aged children, adolescents, and young adults. The presentation will highlight the applicability of trauma-focused assessment for children and youth who are often overlooked when primarily diagnosed with other behavioral disorders and serious emotional disturbance (such as anxiety, mood, disruptive behavior, dissociative, and substance use disorders). A broad overview of the empirically supported trauma-focused therapies for children and youth will be provided.
Bio
Julian D. Ford, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry and law at the University of Connecticut where he directs two treatment and services adaptation centers in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders. Dr. Ford is editor of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation and associate editor for the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. He is a past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. He has published more than 350 articles and book chapters and is the author or editor of 10 books, including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Scientific and Professional Dimensions, 2nd Edition, Treatment of Complex Trauma: A Sequenced, Relationship-Based Approach, Reprint Edition, Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Scientific Foundations and Therapeutic Models, and Crises in the Psychotherapy Session: Transforming Critical Moments Into Turning Points. Dr. Ford is the principal investigator for the national developmental trauma disorder (DTD) field trial research study.He has developed and conducted randomized clinical trials and effectiveness studies with the Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET) model for youths and adults with developmental trauma histories and complex PTSD.