STAIR Narrative Therapy for Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Treating Sexual and Gender Minority Trauma

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is a new diagnosis in the World Health Organization (WHO)’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). This case study describes the delivery of Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation and Narrative Therapy (SNT), a flexible, multi-component therapy that addresses the symptoms of CPTSD. SNT balances interventions that address current day stressors with those that reappraise the meaning of traumatic past events. This paper outlines 16 sessions of SNT with a 55-year-old gay man. The treatment introduces client tailored coping skills for current minority stress, discrimination and micro-aggressions as well as trauma-focused interventions regarding events from his childhood and the death of his partner and many members of his community due to the AIDS epidemic. Qualitative and quantitative outcomes are summarized. Implications regarding the relevance of SNT for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals is discussed.