The Complex
Trauma &
Dissociation
Clinic
ABOUT CTAD
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can you recommend a therapist near where I live?
A: No, we have a policy of not making recommendations for therapists unless we know them very well, for example, we have worked directly with them before.
Q: Where can I find a suitable therapist experienced in working with dissociation?
A: The ISST-D have a register of therapists, or you can contact the national societies that therapists are registered to (counselling, psychology, psychotherapy etc).
Q: Can you help me convince my NHS team that I need help for dissociation?
A: No, we have no authority to influence NHS providers. You may need to raise this as an unmet need with your local commissioning team (now known as Integrated Care Providers – ICBs).
Q: How can I get funding for therapy when my local services cannot help me?
A: Please follow the relevant referral pathway, as outlined on our NHS Portal page, which can be viewed by clicking here
Q: Can you help me with advice on my condition?
A: We cannot offer clinical advice about treatment or techniques without having first conducted a thorough assessment.
Q: Can you offer supervision to my therapist?
A: We sometimes have availability for this, please ask your therapist to get in touch to discuss.
Q: Do you offer one-off case consultations for people with dissociation and/or therapists?
A: Yes, we can offer this, please get in touch to ask about details.
Q: If I want some help from your clinic, what information do you need?
A: It would be helpful to know where you live (city/country is enough), what specifically you want help with, whether there are health providers involved, if a diagnosis has been made and what it is, and whether it is for consultation, assessment or treatment. Please do not send us a lot of personal history (such as traumas experienced). If we can help, this would be discussed at assessment.
Q: How do you make a diagnosis?
A: We have a video on this within the website, where Dr Mike Lloyd describes the process by which our clinic diagnoses. Different providers may use different methods and measurements, there is no one ‘right way’.
A: Yes, we write up a detailed report following the diagnostic assessment, and you will get a draft of this to check before it is formally sent out.
Q: Do you offer training?
A: Yes, we have a section on the website about training. We can offer training on diagnosis, as well as foundation and advanced therapy skills for working with dissociation. These are face to face events.
A: Yes, but at present this is only for people actively within treatment within the clinic and is face to face. We have no plans for putting together an online support group at the moment.
Q: Can you support me in a legal case against an alleged abuser?
A: No, we do not offer court-based services. This would need to organised via your solicitor or court. They have registers of authorised providers of medico-legal services.
Q: If therapy has been deemed appropriate, will the therapist who conducted my assessment be the one who provides me with therapy?
A: The assessment process may lead to a recommendation of therapy. It is not a guarantee that therapy would or could be provided by the CTAD Clinic, nor that the assessing practitioner would provide it should the CTAD Clinic remain involved. This is to be discussed either during or after the third appointment.
