Intellectual Disability, Trauma and Psychotherapy

People with intellectual disabilities have emotional and mental health needs just like anyone else. Until recently however there has been little research of effective psychological treatment or direct, accessible psychotherapy provision for this client group.Intellectual Disability, Trauma and Psychotherapy focuses on the delivery of psychotherapy services for those with intellectual disabilities. Leading professionals in this specialist field are brought together to describe the history, theory and practice of their work in twelve focused chapters that draw on the work of psychotherapists including Bion, Winnicott, Sinason and Alvarez. Topics covered include:therapeutic responses to cultural and religious diversitysupport for parents with intellectual disabilitiesdeveloping healthy and secure attachments within the familydealing with intense feelings of shamehelping clients to cope with traumatic sexual experiences.Drawing on over a decade of pioneering practitioner experience at Respond – a government-funded psychotherapy service for people with learning disabilities based in central London – this book explores the practical issues in providing therapy to this client group, whether individually, in families, in groups, or by the use of telephone counselling. It closes with a chapter exploring the way forward for those who wish to develop services of this kind.

'In this remarkable book contributors take us on a journey to understand the emotional needs of a small but very challenged group of people, and on the way answer the question of whether psychotherapy for people with learning disabilities is worth it. It so definitely is!' - Professor Sheila Hollins, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists'This is a beautiful brave book. Edited by a major learning disability pioneer, Tamsin Cottis, and with contributions from the internationally known specialist psychotherapists who work at Respond, this book is essential for all those in the field of learning disability' - Dr Valerie Sinason Ph.D MACP M.Inst.Psychoanal, President of the Institute for Psychotherapy and Disability"…the book makes important links between therapeutic technique within the consulting room and the need to understand and engage with carers, external agencies and funding bodies…All the chapters demonstrate an impressive level of clinical thoughtfulness and theoretical rigour." – Deborah Marks, Journal of Child Psychotherapy

Tamsin Cottis has been a practitioner in the field of learning disability for over 20 years, as a teacher, trainer and therapist. She is also co-founder of Respond, one of the UK’s leading providers of psychotherapy to people with intellectual disabilities.