Trauma and its Psychological Consequences

People, as well as dogs, who have been victims of violence, any form of abuse, or life-threatening circumstances, may suffer from the consequences for a lifetime. Many dog owners and trainers are increasingly confronted with traumatized dogs, for example, from animal welfare organizations. These dogs often exhibit behavioral problems such as anxiety, aggressive behavior, restlessness, stereotypical or self-harming behavior, which are difficult to influence with conventional upbringing and training methods.

Dogs and humans show similar coping strategies in response to trauma and develop comparable psychological symptoms or behavioral problems due to neurobiological changes in their nervous system. Therefore, in this webinar, we will look at trauma-related disorders from the perspective of clinical psychology and neuroscience.

Trauma research shows that the effects of trauma can be passed on to subsequent generations in both mammals and humans. We will clarify the mechanisms of this transgenerational traumatization and briefly discuss epigenetics and attachment in this context. We will also address the question of which interventions and treatment approaches help in coping with the psychological consequences of trauma and whether these are transferable to dogs. Not every individual who has experienced trauma develops psychological symptoms as a response. To explain this, we will also look at the phenomenon of resilience, psychological resistance, and the protective factors that play an important role in the prevention of mental illness from puppyhood.

Who is this webinar suitable for?
This webinar is aimed at dog trainers and dog owners who are interested in the neurobiological causes and intrapsychic connections in the development of trauma-related disorders in dogs (and humans). The focus is on imparting theoretical knowledge, which will be vividly illustrated with examples. Specific cases of participants will not be discussed. The seminar does not include practical behavioral therapy work and does not replace behavioral therapy or training.

Our Speaker
Robert Mehl is a qualified psychologist and criminologist (M.A.) with additional therapeutic training as a "Systemic Counselor and Family Therapist" (DGSF) and for the "Professional Use of Dogs in Therapy" (dogument). Since 2016, he has been working freelance as a speaker and systemic counselor and coach. He is currently also undergoing further training as a psychological psychotherapist (specializing in behavioral therapy). He is the author of the book "Die Psyche des Hundes" (The Dog's Psyche) (KOSMOS-Verlag).
Further information: http://www.seminare-robertmehl.de/