Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPP

A board-certified counseling psychologist, retired from 35 years of clinical practice in Washington, DC, is now a licensed psychologist, author and consultant/trainer on trauma psychology and treatment in Lewes, Delaware. She is known for her work on adult survivors of incest and other developmental trauma in childhood and complex trauma and its treatment. 

Dr. Courtois has published numerous chapters and journal articles as well as a dozen books. The revised edition of Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders co-edited with Dr. Julian Ford and, Sexual Boundary Violations in Psychotherapy co-edited with Drs. Lu Steinberg and Judie Alpert were published in 2020. In addition to other professional books, she has written a consumer book entitled It’s Not You, It’s What Happened to You. 

Dr. Courtois served as Chair of the Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults for the American Psychological Association (2017), Chair of the Professional Practice Guideline for Working with Adults with a Complex Trauma History jointly published by the American Psychological Association and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (2024), is past president of APA Division 56 (Trauma Psychology), and founding Associate Editor of the division’s journal Psychological Trauma. With Dr. Joan Turkus, she co-founded a specialized inpatient and day treatment unit, The CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program in Washington, DC and served as Clinical and Training Director for 16 years. Dr. Courtois has received recognition for her work from several state, national, and international professional organizations.

Complex Trauma and Best Practices

The trauma of interpersonal violence that occurs repeatedly and often begins in childhood  and  is now recognized as the most common type of trauma that can occur at any point across the lifespan with a wide range of developmental and posttraumatic consequences. A history of complex trauma is highly prevalent in many clients who seek mental health treatment, making it important for clinicians to be able to recognize symptoms and to offer relevant evidence-based and supported treatment and medication, if indicated. 


This presentation begins with an overview of advances in defining and understanding complex trauma and its consequences followed by discussion of major diagnostic developments. Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is now included as a freestanding diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases-11 of the World Health Organization. 


The primary focus of the presentation is the treatment of CPTSD, with an emphasis on recent treatment guidance and innovations. The presenter (with co-author Dr. Julian Ford) has recently developed a set of principles for CPTSD treatment entitled PRISM referring to trauma-informed and responsive treatment that is Personalized, Relational, Integrative, Sequenced/Strategic, and Multi-Modal/Multi-Dimensional as an update and supplement to the now classic Sequenced Relationship-Based Model outlined in their previous books. The PRISM principles will be presented in detail as they are intended to guide the clinician in the treatment of a diversity of clients, each of whom have unique histories, contexts, and presentations. It will be integrated with and applied within the phases of the sequenced model. Current best practices in the treatment of complex traumatic stress disorders will be presented. 

Learning Objectives

  • Describe differences between complex and other types of traumatic stressors.

  • Identify common developmental and posttraumatic consequences of complex trauma exposure.

  • Describe the criteria for Complex PTSD in the ICD-11.

  • Describe the primary elements of the PRISM acronym integrated with the Sequenced, Relationship-based Model.

  • Identify several best practices for the treatment of CPTSD.

  • Identify several evidence-based treatments for PTSD symptoms and where they can be best applied in the sequenced treatment model.

Continuing Education Credits

  • Bridgepoint Psychology Center (BPC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

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  • For additional information regarding CEs, email: [email protected]

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