Understanding Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children
This webinar is primarily for professionals and students in the mental health, medical, and child welfare fields. This includes counselors, therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, pediatricians, school counselors, case managers, and individuals studying child development, psychology, or trauma. Caregivers and parents interested in trauma-informed care or supporting children with complex needs may also benefit from this webinar.
Complex trauma and dissociation are areas that have been rife with misunderstanding and misconception. Understanding these concepts is vital not only for clinicians but for all professionals working with children, as misdiagnosis or oversight can have lasting developmental consequences.
In this webinar, Ana M. Gómez, an author, clinician, and international educator, and Jillian Hosey, a clinician in private practice and active leader within multiple organizations, share what they have learned from years of study and practice in the area of complex trauma and dissociation in children. Drawing on both their clinical expertise and their editorial work on the new Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications—the most comprehensive volume to date on this topic—Ms. Gómez and Ms. Hosey explore our current understanding of these concepts and clarify what each is and isn’t. Their discussion includes:
- The current state of understanding complex trauma and dissociation
- Current practices in the assessment of dissociation in children
- What current treatment modalities share in common and points of convergence
- Are we moving toward a more integrative way of practicing, drawing on multiple models
- Potential issues that arise in the treatment and assessment of complex trauma
This is an excellent opportunity to move past misconceptions and gain an evidence-based overview of where the field stands today—and where it is heading.
Who's Presenting
Ana M. Gómez, MC, LPC
Ana M. Gómez is a leading expert in the field of complex trauma, dissociation, and intergenerational trauma, with a particular focus on children and adolescents. She is the founder and director of the AGATE Institute in Phoenix, AZ, a psychotherapist, author, and international speaker who has trained thousands of clinicians worldwide through workshops and keynote presentations. A recognized authority in EMDR therapy, she is a fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and the author of EMDR Therapy and Adjunct Approaches with Children: Complex Trauma, Attachment, and Dissociation and her most recent publication, EMDR-Sandtray-based therapy: healing Complex Trauma and Dissociation Across the Lifespan. She is also the co-editor of The Handbook of Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications and has written multiple book chapters on EMDR therapy, complex trauma, and intergenerational trauma. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the Francine Shapiro Award (EMDRIA, 2023), the Hope Award from Sierra Tucson (2012), and the Distinguished Service Award from the Arizona Play Therapy Association (2011).
Jill Hosey, MSW, RSW, LICSW
Jill Hosey, MSW, RSW, LICSW is a Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist in Toronto Canada and Rhode Island, USA, providing trauma therapy to persons across the lifespan with histories of complex trauma and dissociation. In addition to being trained in a variety of trauma, attachment and dissociation focused theories and modalities, Jill is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and an EMDR Trainer with the AGATE Institute, as well as Faculty with the ISSTD’s Professional Training Program (PTP). She has presented extensively on integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) into EMDR therapy and is the lead author of the Clinical Guidelines and Considerations for Integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol into EMDR therapy. Jill is extensively trained and experienced on administering the SCID-D Interview (Semi-Structured Clinical Interview for Dissociative Symptoms and Disorders) with children, adolescents, and adults. She contributed a chapter on Therapeutic presence and the Therapeutic Relationship as Trigger and Container to Healing in E. Christenson’s (Ed.), Perspectives of Dissociative Identity Response: Ethical, Historical, and Cultural Issues, and is a co-editor and contributing author of the Handbook for Complex Trauma and Dissociation in Children: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications (Routledge, 2025). She is a Fellow of the ISSTD.