Complex Trauma Symptoms after Childhood Maltreatment: Strengths and Challenges of the Therapy Program STAIR-NT

The number and type of traumatic experiences (especially childhood maltreatment) appear to increase the risk of developing complex trauma symptoms. There is initial evidence that patients with complex trauma benefit from phase-based therapeutic approaches. STAIR-NT (Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation with Narrative Therapy) is a two-phase trauma therapy approach: emotion regulation and interpersonal skills are learned in the STAIR phase, and in the narrative therapy phase (NT) the exposure to trauma aims at recognizing and changing dysfunctional, trauma-associated assumptions. Experiences with STAIR-NT in the context of a current treatment study show that the two phases provide a clear structure and more security for the treatment. First clinical experiences with STAIR-NT as well as short case vignettes are presented and recommendations for the treatment of patients with complex trauma are given. Concrete practical recommendations are offered for the implementation and individualization on interventions, which among others relate to offender contact, motivational work, handling dissociative states, therapeutic methods (especially exposure), and therapy completion. The close connection between theory and practice facilitates the transfer of learning experiences into everyday life and promotes the strengthening of patients’ self-efficacy and autonomy.