Using a betrayal trauma approach throughout the training experience

By definition, betrayal trauma is a post traumatic stress response to wounds of deception within a committed romantic relationship. Beth Wilson (LICSW, CSAT, CCPSAs) explains her approach in her sexual addiction and betrayal trauma recovery work: "As defined by Association of Partners of Sex Addict Trauma Specialists (APSATS) “MPTM does not conceptualize partner trauma as someone with own disease of co-addiction but as someone who has experienced significant wounding in response to sex addiction induced trauma. Sex addiction induced trauma destroys relational trust and the partners own ability to trust themselves. Research has also shown that partners not only experience betrayal trauma but often show signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We now know that sex addiction and trauma changes the brain wiring. Trauma increases the need for comfort and attachment. All that is lost at the time of discovery of the betrayal trauma.”

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Session One: The Trauma Informed Partner Peer Facilitator Principles of trauma-informed care, types of trauma, definition of the partner betrayal trauma and sexual addiction (SA) problematic sexual behaviors (PSB), and the importance of grounding exercises and self-care.

Session Two: The Way Out is Through How trauma (as an existential crisis) impact faith/beliefs, the stages in the life-of-faith perspective helps prepare and normalize a crisis of faith experience, and precipitating factors leading to spiritual distress.

Session Three: The Significance of Peer Facilitator Training Why trauma-informed peer facilitator training is significant for both them and the women who become part of their groups, assessing readiness to facilitate partner groups, and identifying goals and action steps post training.

Session Four: The Peer Facilitator’s Self-awareness Unpacks self-awareness, its importance and significance in effectively fulfilling the peer facilitator role, and practices leading to increased self-awareness.

Session Five: Peer Facilitator Role and Principles How effectively fulfilling the peer facilitator role can help meet the partner’s complex needs within the small group experience, and the connection between peer facilitator principles and effectively fulfilling the role's

Session Six: Moving Toward Mastering Facilitator Skills Identifying essential facilitator skills, and why continually moving toward mastering them leads to creating and maintaining safe group experiences.

Session Seven: Navigating Group Dynamics and Stages Unpacks potential group dynamics and stages, needs of and possible partner’s behaviors during each stage, and appropriate/effective peer facilitator assessments, actions, and responses.effective peer facilitator responses.

Session Eight: Creating a Group Structure How strategic planning leads to creating a group structure model that increases safety for members while participating in peer facilitator-led groups – whether face-to-face within their local church or community, online or phone.

Session Nine: Confidentiality, Legal Obligations to Report and Referrals Recognize and identify importance and value of creating and communicating policies, practices, and procedures related to confidentiality, legal obligations to report and when/how to refer to a clinician and/or certified life coach or other appropriate professional services.

Session Ten: Crisis Theory Identify different types of crises, the connection between crisis and trauma, and steps leading to successful crisis resolution.

Session Eleven : Putting it all together!  An overview of the APSATS Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model (MPTM), effective facilitator practices during emotionally-charged group experiences, understand vicarious trauma, how to recognize its symptoms and integrate a self-care plan, and revisit and adapt initial goals/action steps.