ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the basic tools necessary for helping dissociative children embrace and accept parts of their minds that seem foreign and unacceptable, the “U” and C” in the EDUCATE model. The therapist must model an attitude of gentle acceptance and use creative reframes to help the child survivor accept that even the most negative and self-destructive voice has a positive purpose. The “thank-you note” technique can help children reach out in gratitude to parts of the self that they have previously rejected. Parts of the self that still remain hidden can become the focus of gentle inquiry, and the child can be asked to focus inward, and “listen in” to uncover what is hidden. Negotiating with the parts of the self that have been uncovered engages meta-cognitive functions as the child commits to future behaviors that are safer and less destructive. Different aspects of the self may contain sexualized, regressive, or aggressive feelings, but all must be accepted and understood for healing to proceed.
