Announcing the
Trauma Recovery Global Conference 2026
Denial of complex trauma:
Seeing the shadow and stepping out from it.
Society and its systems particularly struggle to acknowledge and respond to extreme and complex forms of abuse. The deep invalidation and lack of care that this leads to causes further profound trauma to victims and survivors, compounding the original harms.
Why is it that we turn away from people’s suffering, and what are the different forms that this denial can take? What are the repercussions and costs of this silence and disavowal? And most importantly, how can we use clear sightedness of these dynamics to forge a different approach, one in which we as a society recognise complex trauma and choose to stand with those who have suffered it, honouring their dignity and sharing the burden? This talk explores all of these questions, drawing on numerous societal examples, including the discourse of disbelief around ritual abuse, and healthcare systems that can only see simple trauma.
Betsy de Thierry invites you to save the date for this one day event, designed to equip professionals working with children, young people and families who have experienced Trauma and lead them on a journey towards Trauma Recovery.
Betsy de Thierry
Betsy de Thierry, MA, Consultant Psychotherapist, Trainer, Author, CEO of Trauma Recovery Global and BdT Training Ltd, and Founder & Chair of Trustees of the Trauma Recovery UK (www.traumarecoveryglobal.com & www.trc-uk.org).
Betsy is an internationally recognised trauma recovery expert, psychotherapist with over 30 years experience, and pioneering leader within complex trauma recovery. Betsy has authored multiple best selling books on trauma recovery such as ‘The Simple Guide Series’, making topics such as Complex Trauma & Dissociation, Emotional Neglect, Shame, Creativity, Attachment Difficulties and Collective Trauma accessible to professionals and communities alike, giving language to those in need.
With over 35,000 professionals & students trained in 34 nations in the last 8 years, Betsy delivers powerful training in her BdT Trauma Recovery Focused Model to individuals, organisations and charities across a range of front line sectors, equipping them to facilitate Trauma Recovery.
More about Betsy de Thierry
Dr Elly Hanson
Dr Elly Hanson is a Clinical Psychologist with a focus on tackling sexual abuse and online harms. She undertakes research, consultation, and psychological assessments, working with educators, police, victims and survivors, and the voluntary sector. She is Research Lead of Fully Human, an initiative of the PSHE Association, and in this and other roles, has investigated how online forces have impacted children. She authored the report Pornography and Human Futures, an analysis of online pornography’s nature and business model, and how this undermines core aspects of what it means to be human. For over ten years, she worked with CEOP (the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, part of the UK National Crime Agency) and led their development of a preventive education resource for schools, Respecting me, you, us: building healthy relationships and creating positive cultures. She has authored a variety of papers and chapters, including those on online abuse and how the ‘tech freedom’ ideology has been conducive to it. She is also an experienced therapist and has recently been co-developing a therapeutic service for children who have experienced online abuse.
More about Dr Elly Hanson
Elly Hanson has extensively written and researched in the field of sexual abuse and exploitation over many years and a few of her important papers are:
Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., Hanson, E., Whittle, C., & Beech, A. (2017). 'Everyone deserves to be happy and safe': A mixed methods study exploring how online and offline child sexual abuse impact young people and how professionals respond. London: NSPCC.
Salter, M. & Hanson, E. (2021). 'I need you all to understand how pervasive this issue is': User efforts to regulate child sexual offending on social media. In J Bailey, A Flynn & N Henry (eds.) Handbook on Technology-Facilitated Violence and Abuse: International Perspectives and Experiences. Emerald Publishing.
Understanding the current climate around sexual exploitation and abuse. Exploring sexual abuse through the lens of both recovery and prevention. Focusing on the impact of the current context of porn, social media, grooming, abuse and exploitation.
The unchecked influence of wealth and power, combined with ideologies that narrate control as freedom, have gifted us an internet that bombards our young people with content violating their right to author sexualities rooted in respect, intimacy and connection. A complex ecosystem exists in which young people’s sexualities are being shaped towards corporate profit, and away from their own best interests. This is resulting in more harmful sexual behaviour and exploitation, underpinned by sexual scripts shaped to objectification, hostility and aggression. This talk unpacks all this, and proposes ways in which we can tackle these harms, fight back, and protect our children and young people.
Navigating The Recovery from Sexual Trauma and Exploitation
Betsy de Thierry will focus on the often missed essential elements of the recovery journey from these kind of traumatic experiences. Trauma recovery from sexual truama is rarely a focus for those working with survivors and the work can revolve around safety and justice, which are vital but without a recovery lens, leads to the child potentially spending a life time of managing symptoms of distress and/ or denial. Stuck in that cycle of management of trauma symptoms can cause feelings of volatility and instability, which can then lead to develop further coping mechanims. Recovery is possible and can be the lens with which we view the whole journey from acknowledgement to justice to prevention and reduction of symptoms to recovery.
The Keynote speakers are:
Dr Elly Hanson who has written many research papers, books and is a well regarded specialist in the field.
Betsy de Thierry who trains many sexual exploitation and trafficking teams and charities across the globe.
We will end with a panel of professionals working as specialists in the field who all work within a trauma informed and/or recovery framework who will be ready with Q&A after the keynotes.
It's one not to miss if you work with all age children.
.
Dr Elly Hanson
.
Betsy de Thierry
