SEVERE CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE AND NONVERBAL LEARNING-DISABILITY

Treating clients with a history of severe childhood abuse and neurocog nitive vulnerabilities poses many challenges for the practicing clinic ian. At the heart of the challenge is understanding how clients learn, and the extent to which a joint narrative can be woven to help client s make sense out of their chaotic and painful experiences. This paper will focus on the treatment of a young adult with a history of severe childhood abuse, dissociative symptoms, and right-hemisphere dysfuncti on, or nonverbal learning disabilities. Conundrums, reflections, and i mplications of the treatment are described.